You Just May be the One: A Monkees Story
by smoshen
Summary: When Mike runs into a young woman named Emily who is on the run from stealing a loaf of bread and ends up housing her at The Pad, he never knew that she was in possession of a fabled enchanted flute possessed of magical powers that were only in Emily's dreams. But when news breaks out of the flute's power, all hell breaks loose and it's all up to The Monkees once again.
1. Chapter 1

On a busy Los Angeles sidewalk, a very tall, very thin young man was walking. He was about twenty-four years old, with large dark brown eyes and a head full of thick dark hair. Covering the hair was a green wool cap that he strangely enough wore in the middle of the summer. He walked lazily with his hands in both pockets of his corduroy pants looking down at the ground. He kicked an empty soda can as he walked along, seemingly with no particular place to go. The young man's name was Mike Nesmith, and he was in a rock and roll band, but not today. Today was just a day to himself.

"Hey, mister, care for a bag of fresh apples, cheap!" called a peddler on the street.

"Nah, not today," said Mike in a lazy Texas drawl as he walked on. The only thing he hated about his walks were people trying to bug him on his way. He wasn't a stuffy guy, but he did like his privacy. Other than that one peddler, the sidewalk wasn't as bustling as it usually was. That was why it came to him as a surprise when he saw a young woman, somewhere in her early twenties, practically flying down the street right in his direction.

She kept running, her yellow-blonde hair fanning out behind her, still not changing her direction. From where she was, Mike could see that she was very thin; almost waif-like, and nearly as tall as himself (she was only a couple inches shorter). Mike suddenly felt a dull shot of pain as the girl finally made it to her destination—his body. They collided, and her nails dug into Mike's flesh to keep her from falling, much like a cat he once had.

"Woah, woah there man, what's going on?" said Mike, attempting to pull the girl out of his skin.

"They're after me!" the girl said. Mike looked at her and saw that she was terrified. Her very long, very blonde hair was an unruly mess from running (she wore a little crown of daises…obviously one of those hippie types) , her pale face was flushed and her eyes were wide with fear and were perhaps the largest, bluest eyes Mike had ever seen.

"Well, who are they and what do they want?" asked Mike. He looked at her again and saw she was hiding something under her denim overcoat. "What do you have under that?"

The girl looked up at him with a guilty, caught-in-the-act look and looking both ways, possibly for the people chasing her, pulled out from under her coat a fresh loaf of bread. "I have no money sir…I was just hungry," she said. Before Mike could say anything, two middle aged men, one the shop owner and the other a cop, came running up the street over to them.

"There she is!" said the shop owner.

"All right lady, hand over the bread or you're going to jail," said the cop.

"Come on you dirty hippie gypsy, we ain't gonna wait all day!" said the shop owner.

The girl was just going to speak up when Mike finally snapped. "Well you wait just a minute there!" he said sternly. "This young lady was just on her way to get some money from me to pay for that! Weren't you?"

"Oh yes, yes I was," said the girl quickly, nodding eagerly.

The two men looked at Mike and the hippie girl skeptically. "Well then," said the shop owner. "If that's true, then show me the money!"

"Okay, hold it man," said Mike, getting out his wallet. "How much?"

"Twenty-two cents," said the shop owner. "_Plus _tax!"

"Twenty-two—man, you're chasing after this poor girl for _twenty-two cents?" _said Mike, flabbergasted.

"Plus tax!" said the shop owner. "If that little brat is really going to you for money, fork it over!"

"God, fine, if you're gonna be like that," said Mike. "Here, take your damn money." He slammed the money into the shop owner's hand. The owner counted it carefully, and when he finished, he gave a nod to the police officer.

"Okay young lady, you got luck this time," said the officer. "Now _stay out of trouble." _

"You don't have anything else under there, do you girl?" ordered the shop owner.

"No, I don't, I swear!" said the girl, shaking her head rapidly. The two men gave her one last suspicious look.

"Just as well I guess," said the owner. "I don't want to see you anywhere near my store again, you hear!"

"Yes sir," said the girl. The two men walked off and were soon gone. The girl turned to Mike with a smile. "Thank you so much, I swear I can pay you back whatever you spent."

"Nah, it wasn't much, you don't need to," said Mike. "You…you really _do _have something else under there, don't you?"

The girl smiled shyly and pulled from out from under her coat a gleaming silver flute. "Oh my God woman, please tell me you didn't steal that also!" Mike gasped.

The girl laughed musically. "Oh, no silly, of course not!" she said. "This is just an old family heirloom; it's been with us for years! I never let it out of my sight!"

"Oh, well that's a relief," said Mike.

"My name's Emily, by the way," said the girl. "What's yours? You look a little like a Ethan…"

"Uh…no, I'm not an Ethan," said Mike, thoroughly confused. "I'm Mike, Mike Nesmith. It's nice to meet you Emily." He turned to leave, but the girl, Emily, caught him.

"I must say, I'm so sorry for doing all of that to you," she said. "Really, I have to repay you!"

"No, really, you don't need to do anything for me," said Mike. He went to walk away again, but this time he felt a slight weight taken off of the top of his head. "Hey—what?"

"Oh, this is a wonderful little hat!" said Emily, who had taken off Mike's wool hat and was now inspecting it. "Green really is you color, the way it stands out against your hair…beautiful!"

"Hey man, give that back, will ya?" said Mike, irritated. "Look, I helped you out back there, but that doesn't mean you can just take my things!"

"Oh, don't be so grumpy," said Emily. "Here, I'll wear your hat, and you can take these!" She removed the crown of daises off of her head, stood on her tiptoes, and placed it on Mike's head.

"What the hell is this?" exclaimed Mike.

"Flowers silly!" said Emily, stuffing her head into Mike's hat. "They look groovy on you!"

"Well I don't wear flowers!" said Mike. "I wear that hat, so give it back!"

Emily giggled behind her hand. "How's this for another deal?" she asked. "Let's you and me go back to your place, and I can give you back your hat there!"

"Are you _inviting _yourself over to my pad?" Mike asked. "Are you nuts woman?"

"Well…I…uh…I really have nowhere else to go you see," said Emily with a guilty, girlish look, twisting a lock of her hair. "But if you don't want me there…"

"Oh geez, don't pull that on me now," said Mike. "You…you can come."

"Oh, yippie!" Emily exclaimed, jumping up and down with glee. "Oh, this is great Mike, just totally groovy man, I promise I'll pay you back one day, I'm indebted to you!"

"Well, I wouldn't go _that _far Emily," said Mike, wondering what in the hell he had done. "I'll just let you stay for the night until you can find somewhere else."

"Mike, you have a heart of gold," said Emily. "Let's go!" Emily roughly linked arms with Mike, and Mike reluctantly walked (or marched, rather, because that was what the happy-as-hell Emily was doing) back to the pad that Mike shared with his bandmates.

_At the pad:_

Three young men in their early twenties lazed around the living room of their beachside pad in the afternoon. They were doing nothing in particular, mostly because neither of them could get up off of their lazy asses.

"Where do you suppose Mike's been at?" asked one of them. He was the blond of the three, his pin-straight hair flopping over his face so that he constantly had to flip it out of his honey-colored eyes. "He's been gone for an awfully long time!"

"He's fine Peter," said the second one. He was the shortest of the three and spoke with a heavy Manchester accent. He had dark brown hair and dark eyes under bold eyebrows which held a charming expression. He was definitely the pretty one. "Besides, he's the only one of us four who hasn't had some crazy misadventure and ended up in trouble."

"Well, that's a relief!" said the blond, Peter. "I was beginning to get scared for a minute! Thanks Davy!"

"Don't mention it man," said the British one, Davy. "Mike hasn't called yet, has he Micky?"

"Not a ring, but I ain't worried," said Micky, who had a head of thick, very curly brown hair and dark, deep-set eyes. "The only one I'd worry about in this bunch is Peter anyway."

"Aw, that's very sweet of you Micky!" said Peter with a bright smile.

"Oh, _Peter_," drawled Davy, rolling his eyes.

"The good thing is you can't insult him," said Micky. "He can't understand it anyhow."

"Oh please, I understood that one," said Peter. "But what does this have to do with you being worried about me?"

"_Exactly," _said Micky, nodding his head once. Just then, there was the sound of keys being put into a lock. "Oh, Mike's back!"

"That's right," said Mike as he opened the door.

"Uh…Mike?" asked Davy. "Why are you wearing flowers…and who's that?"

"Oh…" said Mike as he stepped inside with Emily. It hadn't occurred to him that he was still wearing Emily's crown of daises…or that he still had Emily with him in the first place. "Well…guys…this is Emily. Emily, these are Davy, Micky, and Peter." Each guy waved as they were introduced.

"It's great to meet you all!" said Emily. "Mike is such a good person, he shows that even the most seemingly stern of us all have a core of shining goodness in all of us! You should be proud to have a friend such as him."

"I think we found Peter's long-lost sister," said Micky.

"Well, I very well could be," said Emily, unphased. "But aren't we all brothers and sisters here?"

"Gee Mike, I think you found a winner this time," said Davy.

"Oh, why thank you, but I think Mike's the real winner here," said Emily. "I think I'll go get something to drink, the kitchen's over there, right?" Before anyone could say anything, Emily pranced off to the kitchen.

"Yeah, go ahead, make yourself at home, don't ask the people who rent this place to help ya out!" Mike called after her sarcastically.

"So what's she doing here?" asked Davy once Emily was safely out of earshot.

"She ran into me—_literally—_after she stole a loaf of bread," said Mike. "I paid for it to get her out of trouble, but then she just _latched onto me._ I don't know what to do!"

"Mike, she is right, you're such a good person!" said Peter.

"Yeah, too good Pete," said Mike. "I don't think I can get rid of her now."

"Why would you wanna?" asked Peter. "She's so sweet!"

"Yeah, and pretty," said Davy. "I'll tell you what Mike, if you don't want her, I'll take her off your hands!"

"Oh, shut up Davy, it ain't like that," said Mike. "She's just a lost, wayward hippie…who stole my hat off my own head."

"Wanna say though, those flowers really suit you," said Micky.

"Yeah, all you need are some love beads and you're all set!" laughed Peter.

"Shut up you guys," said Mike. "I told her she could stay for the night…I'll just see what goes on after that. Play it by ear, ya know?"

"Well, we are musicians, we do that all the time!" said Peter.

"Musicians?" said Emily on her way out of the kitchen with a bottle of soda. "Mike, why didn't you tell me that? I showed you my flute after all!"

"As if you couldn't tell by the giant drumset and the guitars in the middle of the room," said Mike. "And can I please have my hat back?"

"Well, they could be decoration," said Emily. "And yes, so sorry about that." Emily reached up to take the flowers off of Mike and replaced them with his wool hat, putting her flowers back on her own head. "What do you call yourselves then?"

"We're The Monkees," said Peter. "You play the flute? Hey! You should jam with us, go on, take it out!"

Emily giggled for the millionth time. "Oh, well, if you insist Peter," she said. Peter rushed over to his bass, prompting the others to make their way, a little less enthusiastically (Mike the least so) to their respective instruments. Micky climbed behind the drums, Mike strapped his guitar on, and Davy picked up his maracas. Emily took her flute out from her coat and prepared it.

"Ready Emily?" asked Peter, brimming with excitement.

"Ready!" said Emily. Micky clicked off with his drum sticks, and the band started to play a simple riff. Emily listened, charmed by the music. After getting a sense of the key and style, she raised her lips to the silver flute, closed her eyes, and started to play. It was a gentle and flowing melody, beautiful…that is, until the drums stopped beating and there was a shriek from Micky. "Something wrong?" asked Emily, stopping and opening her eyes. Micky couldn't speak—he could only gawk at what was in front of him: his drum sticks, floating in the air in front of him.

"Oh! Silly me, look what I've done!" said Emily. "So sorry Micky, here, let me fix that for you." She played a few simple notes, and the sticks came back them again, clattering on the drumset.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" asked Davy, trying to calm Micky down.

"I'm so sorry I forgot to tell everyone," said Emily. "This is an enchanted flute!"

"I can see that now," said Micky, pale in the face. "And why…how?"

Emily shrugged. "I dunno, I barely know how to use it," she said.

"Well, I guess we're lucky nothing bad happened!" snapped Mike. "Emily, you could have hurt somebody!"

"Oh, Mike, that's the worst it does!" said Emily. "Trust me, I've had this thing for years."

"Suppose I'll have to," said Mike. "You okay, Mick?"

"I—I'll be okay…yeah," said Micky, still shaken and refusing to touch his sticks.

"Enchanted flute…" said Peter. "Ya know, I think I've heard that somewhere…wasn't that Mozart?"

"Nah, close," said Davy. "Mozart did 'The Magic Flute'."

"Oh!" said Peter. "Well, why don't we call Emily's enchanted flute a magic flute?"

"Copyright infringement?" asked Micky.

"No, I'm pretty sure 'The Magic Flute' is public domain," said Peter. "It was written in the Medieval Ages or something."

"No, no, no!" said Davy. "'The Magic Flute' was written in 1791 at the end of the Classical era! I swear, you bunch are the most uncultured bunch I've ever met…"

"I won't play it if it makes you all uncomfortable," said Emily.

"_That _would be fantastic for now," said Micky.

"Just as well, I need some time to actually sit…something I haven't done all day," said Mike. He took his guitar off and sat down on the couch. Before he could so much as blink, he felt a slam on his stomach and a small ounce of pain in his crotch and saw a curtain of blonde. Yes, Emily had just decided to plot right down on his lap.

"Emily, what the hell are you doing?" asked Mike.

"Sitting," said Emily simply. "I haven't done it all day either, it sounded like a good idea."

"Well yeah, but not on me!" said Mike.

"Oh, leave her alone, she looks good on you," said Micky.

"Whatever you say Micky," moaned Mike. Whatever he had signed on for, he hoped it wasn't for long…however, something told him it would be for more than just one night.

_Later that night:_

Emily was still awake downstairs while everyone was asleep upstairs. It was easy for her to keep quiet from having to sneak around stealing food off the streets. That morning was the only time she had gotten caught. She was thankful to that Mike through and through for helping her out. He was a nice young man, no matter how stuffy he seemed to be.

She was starting to feel sleepy, so she sat down on the couch. Before deciding to lay down, she removed her coat and took her flute out. She stroked it, tracing the inlay designs engraved in the silver, feeling the cool metal, and clanking the keys. She was determined to figure out what this flute could do, but making drumsticks float was enough amusement for her at the moment. Still holding the flute close to her, she lay down on the couch, and using her coat as a blanket like she always did, drifted off to the first pleasant sleep she had in a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

"So Mike, are you gonna go through with it?" asked Micky the next morning. The guys and Emily were awake and eating breakfast, and it was the very day that Mike had said he'd kick Emily out of the pad. Mike and Micky were standing off to the side in the corner of the kitchen, having already eaten.

"Yeah," said Mike as he watched Emily wolf down a stack of pancakes mouthful by mouthful. "It'll be hard, but I'm gonna have to. We can't house her forever."

"You're right," said Micky. "But something tells me she's gonna be very hard to get rid of."

"You've got that right," said Mike. "I'll wait a bit though; I don't wanna kick her our first thing in the morning."

"What's that?" asked Emily, looking up from her plate with her mouth stuffed full of food.

"Uh…oh, n—nothing Emily," said Mike. "How—how's your breakfast?"

"Oh, delicious!" Emily exclaimed. "I've never tasted anything better, who made this?"

"That'd be me, sweetheart," said Davy.

"Oh, Davy, you have a gift, a divine gift!" said Emily. She grabbed him close and kissed him, hard, and then ran over to the living room to mess around with one of the acoustic guitars.

"Geez Davy, why does that always happen to you?" asked Peter, taken aback.

"I dunno mate," said Davy, frowning. "But that one didn't seem too right…"

"What do you mean?" asked Micky.

"She's nuttier than a bad of trail mix, is that it Davy?" asked Mike.

"Yeah, that's just it," said Davy. "I know I like all kinds of chicks, but…I dunno, crazy doesn't do it for me. Wow…I really think this is a first."

"Yeah Davy, you never refuse a girl," said Peter.

"I'd usually say if you don't want her, I'll take her," said Micky. "But…I—I think I'll pass on this one."

"What are you all talking about?" called Emily from the living room.

"Oh—uh—nothing Emily, we were just on our way out there!" said Mike, dragging Peter, Micky, and Davy out to the living room with him. "What are you up to?"

"Fiddling around," said Emily, showing the guitar. "I mean, I had the itch of music, and after that scare I gave poor Micky with that flute yesterday, I figured it was best not to play that with all of you around."

"Yes, thank you for your consideration," said Micky. "That was…what in the hell was that again?"

"My enchanted flute silly, I told you!" said Emily.

"I think what he means is, can you explain it," said Mike.

"If ya can," snickered Davy.

"Hey Davy, that was mean!" scolded Peter. "I thought it was funny, go ahead Emily, tell!"

Emily chuckled into her hand, her eyes twinkling, and began to speak. "Well, I'm not exactly sure how old it is, but it must be pretty ancient," she said. "I can't really remember who had it first…may have been my great-great grandfather or something along the lines of that. It's been passed down from generation to generation all through the family, something of an heirloom. I don't know much about it, to be honest."

"Could e_veryone _who had it make things float like that?" asked Micky.

"Why yes!" said Emily. "The flute's magic, not me!"

"Is that all it does?" asked Mike.

Emily furrowed her brow and played with her hair. "I—I'm not quite sure," she said.

"What do you mean?" asked Davy, looking a little frightened.

"Well, I haven't tried, you see," said Emily. "But whatever, you know! If I don't know how to do it, it won't happen, right?"

"For your sake, I hope so," said Mike.

"Oh, come on Mike, what's that supposed to mean?" asked Peter, offended. Emily was obviously, and not particularly surprisingly, growing on him already.

"Well, I'm just saying," said Mike. "People do things by accident, and it's just…what if Emily here plays something she hasn't before, and blows up the city?"

Emily guffawed and swatted her hand. "Don't be so paranoid Mike, that'll never happen in a million years!"

"I'll be counting," said Mike.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a worrywart!" she scolded. "So, what are we doing today?"

"I—uh, we didn't have anything planed…" said Mike.

"Oh, Mike, Mike, let's do something, please Mike, please!" exclaimed Peter, jumping up and down.

"Okay, okay, don't lose your head Pete," snapped Mike. "What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno," said Peter.

"Sounds fun, where is that?" asked Micky sarcastically.

"I think what he's saying is that he doesn't know what he wants to do yet," said Emily.

"Oh, really?" asked Micky, still brimming with sarcasm. "Cause I thought there was a place out there called 'I Dunno' and we could go there, isn't that dumb?"

"Not really," said Emily. "It was an easy mistake, anyone could have made it."

"Emily, are you sure you're not Peter's long-lost sister or something?" asked Davy.

"Wow, wouldn't that be cool!" exclaimed Peter.

"Groovy!" yelled Emily.

"So…I take it we're fine entertaining ourselves here then?" asked Mike, hopeful.

"No!" said Peter and Emily in unison.

"Terrific," said Mike, rolling his eyes. "Well, we can't go somewhere until you tell me where you want to go."

"And _there's _the problem," said Davy.

"Look, who don't we just have a nice day inside," said Mike. "It's hot out, and I really don't want to g anywhere."

"It doesn't mean the rest of us have to sit inside bored," said Peter, pulling a face.

"Oh, fine!" said Mike. "If you and Emily want to go out somewhere, be my guest, go for it."

"Yes!" shouted Peter and Emily.

"Where should we go?" exploded Peter.

"Come on, we can take a walk down the street, it'll be fun!" said Emily. Peter and Emily jumped up and ran to the door. "We'll be back in a little bit! Sorry if we annoyed you Mike, really."

"Oh, _no, _not at all!" said Mike as sarcastically as Micky had spoken before. "Just have fun you two, it'll be _so sad _not having you around!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way Mike," said Peter. "But we'll be back before you know it!"

"Bye!" said Emily before they walked out of the pad and closed the door behind them.

"And good riddance…for now anyway," said Mike.

"You know Mike, if I didn't know any better, I'd be saying you're jealous," said Davy, raising his eyebrows.

"What?" asked Mike. "Jealous of what?"

"Oh please Mike," said Davy. "If I don't know what a guy who's into a chick looks like, then I don't even think I know my own mother!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Mike.

"Means you've got a little crush on Emily, and you're upset that Peter's gonna hang out with her," said Micky. "Right Davy?"

"Exactly," said Davy. "You'd think I'd be the jealous one after she kissed me like that just there, but…no…no, I have to say I'm not…and I don't say that often, so it's a big deal mate!"

"Man, what do you—you all are crazy!" said Mike. "I don't wanna have anything to do with Emily after this! The only reason she stayed here was because she latched onto me like a toddler. I'm beginning to regret paying for that stupid loaf of bread to tell you the truth here."

"Mike, I'm telling _you _the truth here," said Micky. "I can read you like a _book." _

"That's it man, I'm going to my room," said Mike, flustered, standing up. "And don't you try to follow me up there man, I'm serious." He walked off, not wanting to hear another word. Getting to his room, he slammed the door, took off his hat, and flung himself onto the bed. He swore he'd get that crazy girl Emily out of his life as soon as possible if he could help it. She had only been with them for one night and she was already a pain in his backside. Someone as crazy and wayward as her probably had all kinda of friends in communes or whatever hippies lived in that she could stay at once he kicked her out of the pad anyway.

How could he be jealous of Peter and Emily, those two children? Oh well; he sought consolation in the fact that all of this crap would be over soon.

_Somewhere down the road:_

"Gee Emily, this was just what I needed," said Peter walking next to Emily on the crowded sidewalk.

"The very same," said Emily. "You have a groovy place you live at."

"Thanks," said Peter. "We've lived there together for two or three years now."

"That's nice," said Emily, who was now moving at a little skip. "I like your roommates too, they're really something else! Especially Mike."

"What do you mean?" asked Peter.

"Well, he was just so great to take me in," said Emily. "And I can tell he fathers the three of you in there, and through his grumpy, stiff shell, I can see a loose, free spirit, just waiting to pop out!"

"I know Mike can be a little stern, but through and through, he's a great guy," said Peter.

"Oh, I could see that from the beginning!" said Emily. Peter smiled and nodded. He knew what Mike was planning on doing later; kicking Emily out like that. He knew that he should probably tell her, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He liked Emily too much already, and to hurt that carefree, happy girl would break his heart. But either way she'd get hurt. Peter wondered if Mike even had the heart to tell Emily to take a hike. He sincerely hoped he didn't.

"So where are you from?" asked Peter, trying to get that ugly subject out of his head.

Emily shrugged. "Around," she said. "I think I was born in New York…hard to remember really…I left home to come here when I was fourteen. So far it's been one big adventure!"

"That's good to know," said Peter. "Do you—do you have other places to stay?"

"I beg to houses a lot," said Emily. "Usually I'm just all over the streets. I have friends, but they're like me—free, ya know?"

"So…right now our pad is the only place you've got?" asked Peter.

"As of right now, yes, it is," said Emily.

"And…how long does it usually take for you to find a new place after you leave one?" asked Peter nervously awaiting the answer.

Emily shrugged. "Anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months," she said. "It really depends."

"Ah…" said Peter, getting more and more worried by the second. Boy was he glad that Emily wasn't asking why he was asking anything. "Well…I just wanna say you have nothing to worry about with us! Nope, not at all, no one's gonna kick you out of our place!"

"Nice to know," said Emily with just the _sweetest _smile. Oh boy…what had Peter done now?

_Back at The Pad:_

Mike had come back downstairs and was enjoying some time with Micky and Davy when there was a jingle of keys behind the door and Peter and Emily came bounding right back inside.

"Oh, look, the crazies are home," said Micky nonchalantly, grinning crookedly. Surprisingly, Peter didn't say anything back, but went straight for Mike.

"Mike man, I need to speak to you," said Peter. "In private. Please."

"What's this about?" asked Mike as the two walked up the stairs and into Peter's room.

"It's about Emily," said Peter. "Look, we were talking while we were out, and she has nowhere to go other than here, and if she _does _find somewhere, it could take her months! We can't kick her out to live on the streets again man, I don't care how much she bugs you!"

"Pete, I gotta do this, you know that," said Mike. "Now, I don't wanna sound like a heartless guy, but if Emily can live that way for as long as she has, she'll be okay."

"Come on Mike, you're better than this," said Peter. "Just look how thin she is!"

"Just look how thin I am!" said Mike. "Look how thin all of us are, and we have plenty of food and a roof over our heads. Thinness isn't the issue here."

"Food and a roof is the issue!" said Peter. "Come on Mike, for once, just listen to me! Let Emily stay!"

Mike just shook his head and walked off. Peter knew that once Mike had his mind made up, it was always made up. There was nothing he could do to change it, but it was worth a shot. He just hoped that on seeing poor little Emily that he would have a change of heart and let her stay.

Mike was more than a little miffed as he walked back downstairs. Peter was way too sentimental when it came to things like this. Emily had obviously lived on the streets for years before coming to the pad, so what was the big worry? He came back down and saw Emily casually chatting with Micky and Davy.

"—And _then _Mike swooped in and saved me by paying!" Emily was saying. She turned around and saw Mike himself. "Oh, hello there Mike!"

"This chick worships you man, it's great!" laughed Davy.

"She told us the _heroic _tale of the great Michael Nesmith!" said Micky dramatically.

"Save it guys," said Mike. "Hey, Emily, can I talk to you upstairs please?"

"Sure," said Emily, getting up. "Anything wrong?"

"We'll talk," said Mike. On their way up, Peter passed them with an all-knowing stare. Mike knew exactly what was going on, but thank God Emily had no clue. Then again, Mike thought she had no clue about a lot of things. Maybe kicking her out would be easier than he had initially thought. He brought her into his room and closed the door.

"Mike, are you all right?" asked Emily. "You seem tense."

"Nah, I'm fine," said Mike. He drew a quick breath and started up again. "Listen, Emily…it's been—great having you here, but…"

"But what?" asked Emily, looking at Mike with the inquisitiveness of a five-year-old.

Mike sighed again. This was harder than he thought it would be. Oh well, he may as well just go and say it. "Emily, I'm sorry to say you can't stay here anymore," he said as he exhaled.

Emily's blue eyes turned to confusion. "But…" she started. "Peter said I'd have nothing to worry about. Are you sure?"

"Remind me to smack Peter before you go," grumbled Mike. "Emily, it's not that I don't like you or anything…it's just that…well…we already don't have a lot of money or space here, and yeah, sure, we put our place up to house some people sometimes, but only for _one night _per person. That's all we can do, really, and, well, your night is up."

"But…I don't understand," said Emily. "I thought I lived here now, that you took me in."

"I'm sorry you had the wrong idea," said Mike.

"Mike, you can't do this to me, I have nowhere else to go," said Emily. "It takes me so long to find somewhere else that's safe, you have to let me stay. If you don't want me to stay forever, at least give me a week, please."

"Man Emily, don't make this harder than it is already," said Mike. "We can't afford for you to stay. Look, you've been on the streets for a long time, haven't you? I'm sure you know how to live."

"I do, but it doesn't mean I like it!" said Emily, starting to get very upset. "It can get pretty damn scary sometimes when I'm alone, especially at night!"

"Look man, I don't know what else to tell you," said Mike, getting desperate. "You'll find somewhere else, I know you will. Get a job, make some money."

"Do you know how hard it is for someone like me to get a job?" asked Emily. "Oh, forget it…Mike, if I'm that much of a bother to you, then I'll leave."

"Aw, Emily, you ain't—" started Mike, but she had already started walking down the stairs. Mike followed as she slowly processed to the living room where Micky, Davy, and Peter were and walked right out the door with her head hung low without even a goodbye. She closed the door softly, and following that was a deafening silence with the other three staring Mike down.

"Ya know, I wasn't her biggest fan either, but you could have at least let her stay a little longer and not hurt her like that," said Micky.

"Yeah man, you're better than that," said Davy.

"I _told _you Mike, I _told _you not to!" said Peter, obviously the most bothered.

"Oh, come on guys," said Mike. "She'll be fine out there, just you see." When there was no reply by Micky, Davy, or Peter, Mike sighed loudly and went up to his room again. Sitting down on his bed, he wondered why, if he wanted Emily out so much, he felt so horribly about what he had done.


	3. Chapter 3

It was getting dark by now, and Emily was still walking the road, staying close by the boys' street, just in case Mike had a change of heart and wanted to take her back in again. She lethargically slumped forward, clutching her flute and still hanging her head. She'd have to find out where one of her friends was and if they were staying with anyone nice. She had thought she found a home with some terrific people, but apparently not.

There was a rumble of thunder, and Emily jumped as she felt the first cold drops of rain on her face. Tucking her flute under her coat, she rushed to the nearest covered area as fast as she could, still hoping that Mike would come back. She still had hope he was a good person.

_At The Pad:_

"Feel good about yourself still Mike?" asked Peter, watching the rain falling through the window. "It's pouring out, and Emily's in that!"

"How was I supposed to know it was gonna rain Peter?" asked Mike. "I'm sure she's been caught in the rain before, we all have."

"I dunno about anyone else, but I'd say that you're in denial, Mike," said Davy, crossing his arms.

"No I am _not!" _Mike snapped.

"I'm going with Davy on this one," said Micky. "You hate to admit you're wrong, even when you know it!"

"That is not true," said Mike, already feeling like he was starting to cave to the pressure. "I know I'm right; she'll be fine."

"Mike, I of all people here know you're usually right," said Peter. "But what if you're wrong this time? Please man, she can die out there."

Mike looked from Davy's and Micky's disapproving faces to Peter's sad expression and sighed. "Oh boy, what am I _ever _gonna do with you three?" asked Mike. "Fine, if Emily means that much to you, I'll go out in this godforsaken rain and find her, if I can. Would that make you happy?" Peter nodded vigorously and smiled widely. "Okay, fine, I'll go out and look for her. But not because I want to, okay?"

"Sure man, whatever you say," said Davy, obviously not believing it.

Mike ignored the comment, grabbed up and umbrella, and walked to the door. "I'm taking the Monkeemobile out there," he said. "I'll see you all in a few minutes, hopefully." He walked out the door and into the pouring rain, fighting to open the umbrella. Once it was open, he went over to the bright red GTO which the boys had affectionately named "The Monkeemobile" and got into the drivers' seat. Why he had to go out in the rain like this and look for a crazy, annoying hippie girl who was probably doing just fine at this very moment. He seriously couldn't believe he was starting up the car and pulling out of the driveway. Why him anyway? Why not Peter? He liked her well enough, better than Mike liked her anyway.

It was nearly impossible to see past the windshield as the rain pounded on the front of the car, but for reasons he couldn't understand, he was squinting through the windows, keeping an eye out for wherever Emily may be. He had a gut feeling she hadn't gone far; he'd look right where she ran into him the day before. And lo and behold, after just a moment of looking, he saw through his foggy window a thin, blonde figure slumped under an awning of a shop. Mike pulled over and parked the car by the curb. Getting out of the car with the umbrella, he made his way over to Emily.

As he got closer, he saw her huddled, shivering, and soaked; her hair looked a shade darker and was heavy with rainwater and she was bundled up in her coat, shaking and looking very upset. Upon seeing her, Mike suddenly felt like a horrible person—he'd have to hide that feeling from the other guys when he got back to the pad with her; they'd never give it a rest if they found out he actually felt bad.

"Well hey there little lady," he said when he approached her, holding the umbrella over her. Startled, Emily looked up, gasping, but when she saw who it was, she relaxed and smiled brightly.

"Oh Mike, I knew you'd come back!" said Emily.

"Yeah, sorry about kicking you out like that into all of this rain," said Mike. "Come on Em, I'm taking you back to the pad."

Mike took Emily's hand to help her up and she leapt right up and hugged him hard and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "I swear Mike, I'll be the best tenant I can be!" she said.

Mike laughed. "Okay, let's get going now, it's pouring," he said. He started to guide Emily to the car, but something seemed off. Of course the sidewalk was empty, but within just a few steps, a dark figure jumped up at them and grabbed Emily, who screamed and jerked. Mike dropped the umbrella and tried to grab Emily back.

"Let her go you bastard, what the hell's wrong with you?" he yelled.

"Give me the girl or you're going down!" said the other man.

"That's it, no one tells that to Mike!" Emily screamed. She gave one last jerk, broke free of the man, and gave him a swift punch in the face.

"Run!" Mike shouted. He took Emily's hand and ran her over to the car while the man was distracted. Mike made sure Emily got into the car first. Once she was, he dashed around to the drivers' seat, started the car up, and drove away. "What in the _hell _was that?" asked Mike as he drove.

"I dunno," said Emily, still shaken. "But whatever it was—thank you Mike."

"What, you're thanking me?" said Mike, laughing. "You were the one who fucking _clocked _him! That was insane!"

"I just wanted to get away, I guess," said Emily.

"Well, whatever happened, are you okay?" asked Mike.

"Yeah, I'm okay," said Emily.

"Did he take anything from you?" asked Mike.

"Nope," said Emily, taking her flute out from under her coat. "This was all I had on me, and it's fine."

"Do you—do you think that person, whoever he was, knew it was magic?" asked Mike.

"_Enchanted_—and maybe…" said Emily. "Maybe he just wanted to steal the flute for money…they didn't have to know it was enchanted. Or maybe he just wanted to kidnap or rape me."

"Oh man, don't say stuff like that Emily," shuddered Mike.

"Oh, sorry Mike," said Emily. "Ya know…I just talk and words come out…"

"I understand," said Mike. "But…do you know anyone who would be after your flute? Anyone at all?"

Emily bit her lip and twisted her hair again. "Well…maybe someone in the family who it didn't get passed down to," said Emily. "But I have no clue where anyone in my family is, so I can't be too sure."

"That's comforting," said Mike sarcastically. "Well, maybe that guy was just a random person…have you ever been attacked before?"

"Nope," said Emily. "That was the first time…but hey, there's a first time for everything, am I right?"

"Yeah," said Mike, now feeling like an even worse person than before. If he didn't come back for Emily, she could have been hurt or even killed! They arrived at the pad and Mike parked the car. The rain had stopped slightly, but that wouldn't have even mattered if it was still pouring, because Mike had left his umbrella back at the sidewalk. With Emily close by his side, he unlocked the door and the two of them stepped inside.

As soon as Peter saw Emily, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Emily!" he greeted. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, all thanks to Mike here," said Emily. "If it weren't for him, some crazy man would have done something horrible to me."

"What the hell happened out there?" asked Davy.

"Some random guy tried to grab her when I was bringing her back to the car," said Mike. "We're both fine; we just need to dry off."

"I told you it'd be best to bring her back," said Peter, coming over with a couple of towels. "But _no one _ever listens to me."

"Okay Pete, I get it, I'm sorry," said Mike, taking one of the towels and giving the other one to Emily. "Can we get passed this?"

"I dunno," said Micky. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing to hear Mike admit he was wrong…I wanna relish this moment."

"Oh shut up Micky, okay?" said Mike. "I just wanna sit down, turn on the TV, and forget about everything that's happened in the past few hours."

"That sounds like a terrific plan," said Emily, drying off her flute with the towel rather than herself. "I know I wanted excitement, but I think that was enough for one day, don't you all think so?"

"I know so," said Mike, crashing on the couch.

"But I always knew you'd come back Mike," said Emily, sitting next to him and not on him to his relief. "You're too good a person. Albeit a little grumpy sometimes…but a good person."

"We need more people around this place like you Emily, that's a fact," said Davy, pointing a finger at Emily.

"Why thank you Davy!" said Emily with a bright smile. "You all are such sweet boys, I don't know what I would have done without running into Mike like that!"

"I dunno what I would've done either," said Mike under his breath, frowning. Although that little comment wasn't meant to be heard by anyone else, of course Emily just _had _to hear it, and gave Mike the most glowing look ever, misinterpreting the huge dose of sarcasm he had put into what he had said.

"I _knew _you liked me!" she squealed, leaping to Mike, still sopping wet because she used her towel to only dry her flute, and hugging him.

"Yeah, sure," said Mike, prying Emily off of him. That was it…after all that work drying off, he was now soaked again.

"Now _that _didn't sound very sincere Mike," said Micky.

"Mick, don't…" groaned Mike, but it was too late.

"Ah, come on, it didn't sound like it, but I know deep down he really does mean it!" said Emily. "If he didn't like me, he wouldn't have come back!"

"I think this is running circles," said Mike, ignoring a dirty look from Peter who knew damn well that he didn't like Emily. "I think we all get it now."

"Yes, of course," said Emily. "Sorry Mike, I'm just…excited, that's all."

"Nah, you're good Emily," said Mike. "Hey man, why don't you go upstairs and shower? Ya know, get all that cold off with some warm water. Also that street can't be that clean."

"If you think I should," said Emily, slightly hesitant. It suddenly occurred to Mike that someone like Emily probably hadn't had a lot of showers in her day…he'd get her in one while she was staying at the pad if it killed him.

"Yeah, you'll feel better, trust me," said Mike. "Go on, it's upstairs and around the corner, go crazy." Wow. He probably shouldn't have said that.

"Okay," said Emily, shrugging. "I'll go do that." She rose off the couch and went over to the bathroom upstairs.

"Well, that gets her out of our hair for a few minutes," said Mike.

"Did you just do that to get rid of her for a while?" asked Micky.

"Well, it started out like that, but then I realized…how many showers has she actually had?" asked Mike. "I mean, she's a street-livin' hippie!"

"Come on Mike, I'm sure they have their ways," said Peter.

"Like what?" asked Davy.

"Well, for starters, the world is probably their bathroom!" said Micky.

"Now that's not a very nice thing to say," said Peter.

"What did you expect me to say?" asked Micky.

"I dunno," said Peter.

"Exactly," said Micky. "I just hope she knows how to use a shower."

"Come on Micky, I'm sure she does," said Mike. "And besides, it's not like any of us could go up there and help her."

"Hey, I know she's nuts, but I would," said Davy.

"You would," said Peter.

"Come on guys, let's try and drop her from conversation for a while," said Mike. "She's given me a headache that I can't imagine will go away soon."

Up in the bathroom, Emily was in the tub trying to figure out which way the guys' shower faucet turned for the water to come on. Contrary to Mike's belief, this was _not _her first shower, just the first really (potentially anyway, since she had yet to turn the water on) good one in a while. Her flute, which never left her side, lay on the countertop next to the sink on top of her neatly-folded coat. After a minute of fiddling with the faucet, she toyed with the idea of calling one of the guys up to help her, but she figured that was silly—it was just a faucet! Of course it didn't occur to her that she didn't have any clothes on…oh, she had done the naked thing before and thought nothing of it.

She stubbornly messed around with the faucet some more, and a blast of cold water came out, hitting her square in the face. She squealed and then turned the knob to the other side to make it warmer. Once she had that set, she settled into the stream of water and let it cascade over her. Mike was right, it was so nice to feel the warm after that cold rain! Oh, Mike…boy was she lucky. She knew she thought about it a lot, and said it often too, but she just couldn't help herself! Never before had she met someone who was willing to help her as much as he had.

She knew she probably drove him up a wall for being so attached to him. Hell, she could see it in his eyes every time she looked. Oh, those eyes. Of course, being a young woman, Emily saw how attractive Mike was. It was only natural, right? Of course she saw the cuteness in the other guys, but Mike had a sort of something else to him. A maturity, which Emily knew she severely lacked. But how was life any fun without a little silliness? She wondered if Mike would be half as handsome if he was more like her…it was hard to say, really. Of course she knew she'd never know; Mike seemed like he was the type of person who'd never change for anything.

Back downstairs, Mike, Micky, Davy, and Peter were sitting in the living room when they heard the water from Emily's shower turn off.

"Guess she's done," said Mike. "Ah well, it was nice while it lasted."

"Come on Mike, you know you like her a little bit," said Peter. "You went back for her after all."

"That's cause you guilt-tripped me into it Peter," said Mike.

"Whatever you say," said Peter. Footsteps sounded on the stairs as Emily came down.

"Hey, Mike, did you make sure she had some extra clothes up there?" asked Micky.

Mike's stomach dropped. "Uh—no, but seriously man, I think she has more sense than to walk down here in nothing…she'll out her old clothes back on, or at least a towel," said Mike. But he wasn't too sure about that one. It was looking dangerously like he was going to have to say he was wrong again. Today was not a good day for him.

Of course, as Emily's bare feet made it down to the living room, the boys were greeted by a—er—well, it was hard to say if it was good or bad at the time. "Well Mike, you were right—it _was _refreshing!" said Emily, just standing there in front of all of them, dripping wet from the shower and as naked as the day and holding her flute. Her bare slender body and her long blonde hair draped over her supple breasts were nearly too much for Mike to handle. While Micky and Davy gawked like idiots and Peter turned the deepest shade of red any of them had ever seen, Mike tried his best to be decent and avert his eyes and try to hide the rather unwanted but uncontrollable tightening of his pants.

"Emily, what are you doing?" he asked, his voice cracking like a prepubescent boy. "Aren't you…cold?"

"Oh, I think we can tell she's cold Mike," said Davy with a smirk.

"Oh—God—Davy, stop that, be decent!" snapped Mike.

"Mike, it's okay," said Emily. "Of course he can tell! My ni—"

"Okay Emily, I think we get the point," said Mike. "Peter, grab her a towel or something and we'll find her some clothes."

"Right," said a still blushing Peter as he rushed off to grab a towel. Mike knew Peter was usually okay with nudity, but someone like Peter would be bashful any time he saw a pretty girl in the buff. He arrived back to the scene a moment later with a towel, which Mike immediately grabbed and wrapped around Emily.

"Well, nothing more to see here I guess," said Micky. Mike shot him a dirty look, and Micky just grinned and shrugged, as if to say, "Hey, you know me!"

"Come on Emily, maybe some of Peter's stuff will fit you," said Mike. "You don't mind, do you Pete?"

"Nope," said Peter.

"Good," said Mike. Without another word, Mike ushered Emily off upstairs to Peter's room to get her something to wear. There was only hippie stuff up there anyway. As he walked her up, he began to think that maybe Peter was right…if Emily just did _that _in front of four young men who's hormones could rage with any slight female bat of the eye, then there was no probable way she could survive without being harmed some way on her own. Oh well…Mike took this on; he may as well finish the job.


	4. Chapter 4

Gary Rowe sat on the small bed in his cramped, old hotel room, facing the wall and thinking. That just _had _to be his niece out there that he had tried to take away…Emily. Yes, his older brother's only daughter, Emily Rowe. He hadn't seen her in years, but she had that hair…that long, blonde hair that the Rowe family should have been famous for, and he could have sworn ne had heard the young man she was with call her "Emily." And she had a flute…it couldn't just be coincidence. That silver, the open holes, those elegant engravings. There was none other like it…Gary knew it couldn't be any other than the Rowe Family enchanted flute.

That flute was passed down the Rowe family for generations to the eldest child of each of the owners. Gary, being the younger brother, of course, was not the one to get it. No, his older brother Randy got it instead. That untalented hack, he couldn't do more with that blasted instrument than make pencils float and turn pages in books. He was the first Rowe not to be able to do great things. Gary knew that he could do great things…nay…legendary things with that flute. It wasn't fair that someone as incompetent as Randy was allowed the flute. And now his daughter had it…Gary had seen her on the streets, playing that thing like it was a common instrument, making mundane things float in the air like her father before her. He knew he had to get that flute for himself. He was the only one of the living Rowe descendants who would be able to use it to its full potential!

That flute possessed powers Emily could only dream of. One with brains in their head could take over the world with it. In the right hands, it could be more powerful than anything ever conceived by any writers of legends. That was why he had a plan…a plan to get rid of Emily and whoever sided with her to be able to finally lay his hands on the enchanted flute.

_Back at the pad:_

Mike ventured downstairs early the next morning to check on Emily, who was sleeping out on the couch. He thought that after all that had happened, especially yesterday, he should keep a closer eye on her. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he crept over; he didn't know if Emily was a light sleeper or not, and he really did not care to find out. He held his breath as he turned the corner to see Emily fast asleep on the couch.

She was curled up softly, her long hair strewn about her body like the sun's rays. Her eyes were sweetly shut and Mike noticed that she had very long, pale eyelashes, matching her hair exactly. Despite her being crazy and wayward, Mike had to admit she was rather pretty in a pure, angelic way, although he could infer from what he already knew about her that she probably wasn't all that pure. As always, she was holding her flute close as if it was her own child.

Mike wondered what the deal was with that flute. He was almost certain that man who had attacked them in the rain the day before was after it. Whether or not he knew it was enchanted, he wasn't sure, but would someone attack another person so viciously for a normal musical instrument? Mike new from fact that wasn't the case—he walked that street regularly with a rather pricy guitar and no one came up to _him _like that.

Mike was just about to walk back up to his room when, without opening her eyes an inch, Emily said, "Good morning, Mike."

"Oh—uh—good morning Emily," said Mike. "I thought you were asleep."

"Oh, I was," said Emily, opening her eyes and sitting up. "But then I woke up and noticed you there."

"How did you know it was me though?" asked Mike. "Your eyes were closed."

"Well, I felt your presence in your aura," said Emily. "Plus I heard you breathing."

_Ah…well that's creepy, _Mike thought, keeping that in his head. He ought to be careful about hurting Emily's feelings, not because he actually liked her, but because he knew Peter would be on his case again if he did. "Well, sorry for waking you up," he said instead.

"It's quite alright," said Emily. "It seemed just about the right time to wake up anyway."

"You an early riser?" asked Mike.

Emily shrugged. "It depends, really," she said. "I wake when my body tells me to…sometimes it's early, sometimes it's late."

"I guess that's healthy," said Mike, really not knowing what the was supposed to mean.

"Where are the others?" asked Emily.

"They're probably still asleep," said Mike.

"Oh," said Emily. "Do you want to go back to sleep Mike?"

"Nah, I'm good," said Mike. "Once I'm awake, I'm awake."

"That's good to know," said Emily. "I'd feel horrible if I cost you any less sleep, although I have to say I can tell I probably already have."

"No sweat Em," said Mike. "So…tell me more about that flute there." He thought if he'd asked, he'd be able to find out more about it and who would try and steal it and why. It was going to be a gamble asking Emily.

"What do you want to know?" asked Emily, stroking it. "I already told you it's been passed down through my family and that it's enchanted. I really don't know much more to say of it."

"Well…who had it before you?" asked Mike.

"My father," said Emily.

"Alright then," said Mike. "Do you know where he is?"

"Not a clue," said Emily. "I ran away when I was fourteen, I told you, he and the rest of my family could be anywhere by now."

"Do you remember what happened when your father played the flute?" asked Mike.

"Things floated," said Emily.

"Who had it before him?" asked Mike.

"My grandfather," said Emily.

"Do you remember anything about what happened when _he _played?" asked Mike, getting desperate.

Emily squinted and bit her lip, trying to remember. "Let's see…" she said, twisting her hair. "I—it's hard, I really have to think, but I remember…lights…yeah, lots of lights…and then he'd give it back to my father and there would be no lights…"

"I see…" said Mike. "So…I guess that means your grandfather could do more with it?"

"Guess so," said Emily. "It's been a long time since I've thought about it. I just remember my dad doing silly things with it and him teaching that to me once he handed it down to me."

"Okay," said Mike. "Look, Emily, I'd like you and me to go to the music store around the corner so we can get this thing looked at, if you don't mind, that is."

"I mean…" said Emily hesitantly, kneading the flute in her hands. "As long as I'm there with it, I guess…"

"Come on Em, this guy's a professional, he won't do anything to hurt it," said Mike.

"But what if he makes lights happen?" asked Emily, strangely and vaguely remembering what those lights may have been.

"Nah, he won't, I'll make sure of it," said Mike, really warming up to the idea of seeing what a professional musician would have to say. "So, what do you say?"

"Okay," said Emily, standing up. "Let's go!"

"Not yet hon, I still gotta get some street clothes on," said Mike, gesturing to the pajamas he was still wearing. "And I suggest you put some on too, I laid out some of Peter's stuff here that I thought you may like."

"Yeah, right, sorry," said Emily. "Look…man…I'm so sorry about last night…I—I wasn't really in a thinking state of mind!" She finished with her girlish giggle.

"Nah, you're good," said Mike. "Just be more careful, you're lucky we're four decent guys, else something bad would have happened."

"I really am lucky," said Emily with a smile sweet enough to rot teeth. Mike smiled and nodded and went off to get dressed for the day.

Once they were both all set, the two got into the Monkeemobile and Mike drove to the direction of the music shop. Emily sat in the passenger seat holding her flute in her lap, her long, dainty fingers wrapped around it protectively as they drove on. The music shop was just down the road, not too far away from anything. The boys were lucky that they had a house very close to everything else. In no time, Mike parked in front of the little store and helped Emily, who still seemed reluctant about surrendering her prized possession to a stranger, out of the car.

"It'll be fine Em, I swear," said Mike. "He ain't gonna take it apart or anything."

"You promise?" asked Emily, looking up into his eyes.

"I promise," said Mike, looking back. Man, that girl's eyes were blue…so blue. "Come on, let's go in. Al's the guy who owns the place, he's been a good friend of mine since I moved over here." Mike ushered Emily, who was still clutching her flute nervously, inside. It was a small place with a plethora of musical instruments such as trumpets, trombones, guitars, basses, saxes, clarinets, other flutes, and so much more on the walls, behind glass cases, and on shelves. There were shelves with sorted-out sheet music and music books, little musical knick-knacks, and other random things. In the middle of the shop there was a counter which had guitar picks on the top and harmonicas and whistles in the glass case. Behind the counter stood a balding man with glasses somewhere in his late forties who was shining a trumpet with a cleaning cloth. "Hey, Mike!" said the man, setting the trumpet down and smiling. "What brings you here today?"

"Hey there Al," said Mike, walking up to the counter. Emily was still standing behind him shyly. "I just need you to take a quick look at something for my friend here really quick, if it's all good with you."

"Whaddya think I get paid for?" asked Al. "Come on little lady, bring it on up here!"

Emily, wide-eyed and nervous, was urged up by Mike, and she made her way up to the counter, clutching to her flute as if it were her life. "Well, put it on up here so I can take a look at it."

"It's okay," Mike coaxed. "He won't mess around with it Emily, remember?" Emily nodded silently and gingerly placed the flute on the countertop.

"You're in love with that thing, aren't you?" asked Al, who picked it up and started to inspect it.

"It's been in my family for years," said Emily. "Just—don't take it apart sir, Mike only wanted to see if you could tell us something about it."

"Okay then, it's your instrument," said Al, still looking it over. "My, this flute is old…not old enough for Baroque…nope, that would be _much _too old for it to work…I'd have to say mid-Romantic…yes, that seems about right."

"Sir, is there anything…uh…_unusual _about it?" asked Mike.

"These markings are just _beautiful_," said Al, admiring the engravings. "Young lady, you have quite a treasure on your hands!"

"Yes, I know I do!" said Emily. "Would you like to hear it played?"

"Emily, are you sure that's—" started Mike, but Al cut in.

"I would love to!" said Al. "I wonder how it sounds for being so old. It seems to be in perfect shape otherwise."

"Okay!" said Emily brightly, losing her nerves little by little. She picked up the flute and Mike flinched. What in the world would happen in here once she started playing? She obviously didn't know how strong the power was, but couldn't do much with it anyway. Mike could only stand there as all hell was probably about to break loose.

Emily played a note, another, and then another until the notes formed a flowing, sweet melody. Her vibrato trembled and her notes sored as a vocal soprano. Nothing strange happened for a while, and Mike drew a breath of relief. Of course it was too soon, for just as soon as he finished his breath, he caught the faint sound of a string quartet coming from the string instrument corner, but there were no people playing…the two violins, viola, cello, and bass were up and playing by themselves. Al's eyes looked as if they were to pop out of his head, and even more so when a clarinet and oboe joined the mix. It was beautiful, but Mike couldn't help but be distracted by the floating self-playing instruments in the shop. Emily didn't seem to notice, or else she did and it didn't phase her at all.

Once she finished, she took her flute down and all of the other disembodied instruments stopped as well and went back to their racks as if nothing had happened. Mike stood there nervously and Al still had his eyes as wide and round as two rubber balls.

"What in the _hell?" _Al spat, somewhere between impressed and terrified.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, it's an enchanted flute," said Emily.

"You don't say," said Al. "Mike, did you know about this?"

"Yeah," said Mike. "She gone and made Micky's drumsticks levitate the first time she played it around us."

"Well, I'll be!" said Al. "Keep that thing safe young lady; you have a very rare treasure."

"Hey, there they are!" said a voice suddenly from the doorway. Mike and Emily wheeled around to see Davy, Peter, and Micky walking into the store. "When did ya leave mate?" asked Davy. "You gave us a scare! Luckily we all knew you may be here."

"What are you doing here?" asked Peter.

"Just came here to get Emily's flute looked at," said Mike.

"She—uh—didn't play it, did she?" asked Micky nervously.

"Oh, she did!" said Al.

"What happened, dare I ask?" asked Micky.

"The music store started playing along," said Emily casually.

"Meaning?" asked Davy.

"The instruments just flew off the shelves and started playing themselves to Emily's music—which was _lovely _by the way," said Al, set all aflutter by this.

"Why thank you," said Emily.

"Has that exactly happened before?" asked Mike.

"Nope," said Emily. "I've never brought it to a store before, but I'm thinking I may come by here a little more often now."

"You're welcome her anytime Emily!" said Al.

"Can you do it again, I wanna see!" pleaded Peter.

"Nah Pete, we gotta get going," said Mike. He turned to see a disappointed-looking Al. "Sorry Al, maybe next time."

"There had better be a next time!" said Al.

"There will be man," said Mike. "What do I owe ya?"

"Nothing, after that? Are you crazy?" said Al. "No charge for that at all!"

"Ah…okay then," said Mike. "Well, we'll be on our way then. Come on guys." The group left the shop and the astonished owner inside.

"I sort of feel like going for a walk after all of that excitement," said Emily. "How about you all?"

"Sounds great to me," said Peter, springing up next to her.

"I guess so," said Mike. As they walked, Mike saw a man who looked to be in his late-thirties walking close by. He had wavy blond hair and blue eyes, and looked mysteriously familiar…little did he know it was Gary Rowe, Emily's uncle, but Emily probably didn't know either.

"Excuse me ma'am," said Gary, jumping in front of Emily. "But I couldn't help but notice that flute of yours. Do you think you can play? I love music!"

"I'm sorry sir, she's not playing right now," said Mike, trying to steer Emily away, but she broke free.

"As a matter of fact, I can," said Emily. She rose the flute to her lips, but before she could play a note, the man shook his head.

"No, no, I have something you can play," said Gary. "Can you read music?" Of course the twit could read music…her father may have been untalented, but he had taught her how to read music.

"Yes, I can," said Emily. Perfect, thought Gary. Once she played this piece, which he composed himself for this very moment, her and these four silly-looking friends of hers would be swept away to a place where he _knew _he would be able to control and manipulate them. He would get his precious flute…he just wanted to have a little fun first.

"Here you go," said Gary, holding out a piece of music. Emily looked at it and saw a rapid, fast, angry-looking melody. The page looked black and she wondered if she would be able to sightread it.

"I can try it," she said, putting her flute up.

"Emily, no, we gotta go," hissed Mike, feeling something suspicious. Something was not right.

"Mike, shush, I can play this, what's the worst that can happen?" said Emily. Before Mike could jerk her away, she played her first note. Through the rapid movements of her fingers, there was a light, growing and growing. Oh no…was this what Emily had meant by her grandfather creating light? Either way, there wasn't much time to think about it, because within moments, there was a bright flash and the five of them were gone, flying through space and time.


	5. Chapter 5

After all was said and done, Mike found himself awake with a mouthful of sand which he was face-down on. His heart leapt and he jumped up, spitting the sand out and kicking it all over the place. Now that his face wasn't buried in the ground, he clearly saw that he and the others, wherever they were, had been transported to—wait for it—a deserted island. Mike yelped and rushed to the water, only to find that there was nothing but just that—the water—for miles and miles. He looked behind him and saw trees…nothing but trees. Frantic, he searched for the rest of the group and found them exploring as well.

"Hey guys, it's Mike," said Micky. "Mike, over here!"

"What just happened?" asked Mike. "Where in the hell are we?"

"I'd say on an island somewhere," said Peter. "Yep, definitely an island."

"Yeah, no shit Peter," said Davy. "Anyone know where the island is?"

"Well now, I would _hope_ that Emily does," said Mike harshly. "So Emily? Do you happen to know where in the _blazes _we are since you were so kind as to send us here?"

"Oh, I have no clue where we are," said Emily. "I didn't mean to send you all here, but I'm glad you think I was kind to take you all to such a beautiful place."

"Emily, this place isn't beautiful, it's a death trap!" yelled Mike, finally snapping. "I told you not to play for that weirdo, I _told _you, but did you listen to me? Nope! Wanna know why? Because you're dull, dim-witted, and you don't have a brain in your head to think with! There, I said it! I dunno why you think I'm so fucking nice, cause _that _is what I think of you!"

Emily just stood there with her mouth agape, trying to take in what was just said. "But—but Mike, I don't understand," she finally said. "If you don't like me at all, then why did you take me back in?"

"Is your head that thick where you can't figure it out?" laughed Mike, losing it more. "I took you back in because these three—" he gestured to Micky, Davy, and Peter—"_guilted _me into it! _Especially _Peter!"

"Is—is that true?" asked Emile, her voice growing brittle.

"Oh boy, it is!" said Mike.

"Mike, stop being a brute!" Peter snapped. "Emily did nothing wrong!"

"Oh, she did nothing wrong, nothing at all?" said Mike. "Then explain not listening to me and us ending up on this godforsaken island, without any clue where we are or what's going to happen to us?"

"Okay, I get it Mike, maybe it would have been smart to listen to you, but it doesn't make me stupid!" Emily suddenly snapped, alarming everybody. It occurred to Mike right then that Emily was capable of other facial expressions than dazed and lazy—she looked furious; her lip was twitching, her eyes were flashing, and she was glaring right at him. "Yeah, maybe I got us into this, but we're only human, we all make mistakes! So instead of yelling at me that I fucked this up, maybe we can work together to fix it! At _least _look around to see where we're at. Can we at least do that?"

"I think she's made a point," said Micky, startled. "What do you say Mike?"

"I say I'll humor you Emily, but don't think that I ain't still pissed," said Mike. "What do you say we do?"

"For starters I say we wait here for a minute or two to see if anyone lives here," said Emily. "If not, we start exploring."

"Look Emily, maybe we should start listening to me," said Mike.

"Come on Mike, let Emily help," said Peter. "She wants to get us out of this to look better in your eyes, so let her!"

"Uhg fine!" snapped Mike. "But when we end up dead, don't come crying to me."

"We won't die Mike," said Emily. "As far as I can tell now, there's nothing terribly dangerous about this place, and there's plenty to eat that we could find."

"Yeah, fish and cocoanuts," grumbled Mike.

"Mike stop grumbling, we'll be fine," said Micky. "Emily's right, we just need to keep a level head."

"Yeah mate, you're usually better at that than the rest of us," said Davy.

"Yeah, usually," said Mike. "I'm surrounded by knuckleheads."

"You always are," said Davy. "Okay Emily, so you just think we should wait here for now?"

"Seems like the safest thing," said Emily.

"Wow guys, is anyone _seriously _going to ask who in the hell that guy was in the first place?" asked Mike, sitting down under a palm tree.

"What guy?" asked Peter.

"Oh my God—the guy who asked her to play!" said Mike. "He was really sketchy!"

"Mike, we should concentrate on figuring out where we are first, don't you think?" asked Emily. "Then we can think about detail."

"Dammit Peter, I'm sorry I ever gave you a hard time, cause right now I know _exactly _how you feel," said Mike.

"That's okay Mike, it's not all that bad," said Peter.

"Wait guys, I think I hear something!" said Davy.

"Oh no, we're gonna _die!" _whimpered Micky, clutching at his head.

"Quiet Mick, I hear it too," said Mike, standing up again. "What is it?"

"Sounds like footsteps," said Emily. "Maybe it's someone coming to help us?"

"Or kill us!" said Micky.

"Micky, would ya calm down?" asked Mike. "Come on guys, level heads. Hell, even _I've _calmed down!"

"Yeah, Mike's right, this time," said Davy. Mike chose not to retort; he was calm (well, not really that calm) now, and getting riled up again was going to accomplish nothing. As they stood there, not knowing if whoever or whatever was approaching them was going to hurt or help them, the footsteps grew louder and closer. Whatever it was, it didn't sound terribly huge or threatening, but without seeing it no one could be too sure. But soon enough, through the trees and to the shore emerged a man. He was tall and muscular, wearing only a pair of ratty blue jeans, revealing his toned, sculpted, bronze chest. His hair was long, silky, and jet black and his eyes large and chestnut. His bare feet walked on the sand with ease, as if he'd been on the island for years.

"I was told that you may be here," he said in an exotically accented voice. "My name is Raul, and I will be helping you."

"Something tells me he's had more girls than you, Davy," Micky whispered to Davy on the side.

"Yeah man, all he needs is a white stallion and he's set," said Davy.

"Alright then, Raul," said Mike. "And just how did you know we'd be here?"

"Mike, if you've been in the presence of an enchanted flute, then you should believe in all things," said Raul.

"Wait a minute, how do you know his name?" asked Davy. "And about the flute?"

Raul smiled. "Did I not just explain to Mike, Davy?" he asked. "I have my own ways of knowing, and those ways, or myself, will not harm you." His eyes turned to Emily. "You, young Emily, have a great gift."

"Well, why thank you Raul!" said Emily. "Uh…what is that exactly?" Mike put his face in his hands and sighed.

"Your flute, of course," said Raul. "Tell me Emily, do you know the powers is possesses?"

"I thought it only made things float before…" said Emily. "But…when I played it for that man on the street…I made the light…the light my grandfather made."

"Very interesting," said Raul. "You must learn to use it; it will help you greatly out here."

"And just what are you going to do to help us get out of this?" asked Mike.

"I know of a place on the other side of the island," said Raul. "The people there are gracious; they will house you and take care of you, and when you are nursed back to your health and strength, they will send you home."

"Wait…nursed back to health?" asked Micky. "Does that mean…we're in danger?"

"Well, the island holds many hidden dangers," said Raul. "You will not have to worry about being killed while you are with me though; I will keep you as safe as possible."

"But—dangers?" squeaked Micky.

"Oh dear…and of all days not to have my stuffed tiger," moaned Peter, pulling a very frightened face.

"You need not worry Peter," said Raul. "Come—if we are to get to the other side of the island quickly, we must start now."

"I dunno why, but I've got a bad feeling about this," said Mike as they started off into the trees.

"You have a bad feeling about everything Mike," said Davy. "Remember—level head!"

"Yeah, as long as nothing out here chops it off," said Mike snidely. Of course he was skeptical—why wouldn't he be? Some strange, shirtless island-dweller came out of the trees, knew all of their names and why they were here, and was now navigating them across the island. If that didn't have "sketchy" written all over it, what did? Oh, yeah, that random guy in the street who gave Emily his own composition to play. He wondered—no—he _knew _that man had something to do with why they ended up here. It was just a matter of time before the others figured it out. All he could do now was be silently pissed off at Emily because if he actually showed it, he'd be scolded like the child he wasn't. That girl was more trouble than she was worth.

"I will find us the quickest way through the jungle," said Raul. "Keep close to me; the trees get thick."

"Mike, Mike, I'm scared already," moaned Peter, clutching onto Mike's arm. "It's getting dark and I'm scared."

"Oh, Pete, you needn't be scared with Mr. Muscles leading us, remember!" said Mike sarcastically.

"I hope so cause I have a very bad feeling I'm being watched by a hungry bear or something," said Peter, looking around nervously.

"Oh Peter, everything'll be fine,' said Emily, who was walking up front with Raul. "I think we can trust Raul; he seems like a very good man who can get us through this."

"Wow Emily, you just latch right onto any 'good man' once they look at you and give you attention, don't you?" said Mike.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Emily. "Are you still mad at me, Mike?"

Mike didn't answer but continued to try and tell Peter that though the jungle was dark, nothing was going to jump out at him and kill him. Emily tried to shrug that off, but it was hard to. She knew what she did was wrong, but she had apologized and so far nothing bad had happened, so how could Mike still be mad at her? It was rather silly. To be honest, she was hurt by it. Was Mike the man she thought he was, or was he not? Either way, she was determined to get everyone out of this giant mess she created, if not to save their lives, but to make Mike see that she wasn't an incompetent little fool.

"So, uh, just how long do you think this little adventure is gonna take us?" asked Davy.

"Just a few days," said Raul. "Maybe a week; we won't know for sure until we're halfway through the jungle."

"And how long is that?" asked Peter shakily.

"We'll find out," said Raul. Peter shuddered.

"Hey man, will you chill? You're scaring Peter," said Mike.

"Quite sorry," said Raul. "No one is meant to be frightened here."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know, we needn't be frightened," mocked Mike. "Let's just not talk about danger right now; scared people don't do well on adventures."

"You're telling me," said Davy, looking around the trees with wide eyes. "Hey there Mr., we do have stuff to stop for camp every now and then, right?"

"Why of course," said Raul. "Tents, blankets, everything."

"And food?" asked Emily. "These boys have been feeding me well, I'm afraid I've grown accustomed to it."

"The forest will provide us with food," said Raul, gesturing out as he walked.

"Wait…" said Peter. "You don't mean…we have to—hunt?"

"Why, naturally," said Raul.

"I have to…kill something?" Peter whimpered.

"It's okay Pete, I'm sure we'll find some nice sweet berries for you," said Micky.

"I wouldn't bother," said Raul. "Most of the berries on the island are poisonous, it would be too risky." Peter moaned again.

"It's okay Peter, you don't have to be the one to kill," said Emily. "I'm sure one of our friends will do it for you. But do remember if we have to kill to survive, we must. Out ancient ancestors did it, so they had to be doing something right."

"Exactly right Emily," said Raul. "You are wise beyond your years."

Mike let out a little snort, as did Davy and Micky. Peter just glared at the three of them again, but as soon as the wind rustled the trees, he jumped back into alert fear.

"I think we shall go on for a while more and then stop at sundown," said Raul. "I can go into the jungle and hunt something for food and find some water for us to drink."

"Your call, Mr. Tour-Guide," said Mike.

"He's upset cause it's usually his," said Davy.

"Shut up Davy," said Mike. "I am _not." _Mike and Davy went back and forth at this for a little while. They walked on and on for hours; Mike felt as if his feet were going numb and detaching. He was afraid that if he'd look behind him he'd find one of them just lying there disembodied in the grass. The only two who seemed like they were enjoying the walk were of course Emily, who walked everywhere prior to Mike's mistake of taking her in, and Raul. Who in the hell was that guy anyway? Mike was of course still wondering this all through the walk. Sundown came much later than anticipated, and as soon as Mike saw the sun disappearing over the horizon though the trees, he slumped down against a tree trunk.

"I see you did not enjoy that walk," said Raul, sitting down next to him.

"I think you and Emily where the only two that did," said Mike as Peter, Davy, and Micky crashed down next to him.

"Finally!" breathed Micky. "My ass is touching something; it's a miracle!"

"Food…water…" moaned Peter, who looked on the edge of tears.

"Don't worry mate, we're immobile for now; we'll have something to eat soon," said Davy. "Man I'm bushed, that was some sort of hell there it was."

"_I _think you bunch need to get out more," said Emily, looking as fresh as ever and sitting down in the circle with all the grace of an angel, her hair blowing out around her body as she went down.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Davy.

"Exercise," said Emily. "I bet you all don't play _one _sport."

"Actually, Davy rides horses," said Peter brightly.

"That I do!" said Davy. "Thank you, Peter."

"Don't mention it Davy," said Peter.

"Okay, now that we're all here and settled, how do we set up camp?" asked Mike. "Raul, you said you had everything, but how could you? You don't have a bag or anything."

"We have an unlimited source of power," said Raul. He looked at Emily, and then down at the flute she was still holding onto. "Miss Emily? If you may."

"You…you want me to conjure up tents?" asked Emily. "I dunno…I guess I could try."

"Emily, I'm not sure that's a good idea," said Mike. "Look, you saw what happened last time you played."

"I'm sorry Mike, would you rather sleep on the hard ground?" asked Raul. "Because we can do that, I've done it plenty of times."

"Mike, I'd be willing to risk it here," said Mick. "Cause I may be sounding like a diva here, but I do _not _want to sleep on the ground."

"Well?" asked Raul, turning to Emily.

"What do I play?" asked Emily.

"A little jig," said Raul. "And think about what you want."

"Alright then," said Emily. "I'll try my best." She lifted the flute to her lips once more, closed her eyes, and thought. She thought of shelter, of the home, of comfort. Still thinking, she started to play a jig her father had taught her. She didn't know what good it would do, seeing how he couldn't even conjure with it, but it was worth a try. Just as she was wondering if it was working, she heard one of the boys, it sounded like Micky, shout in surprise and pain. Her eyes shot open, and she saw Micky was covered in cheap, patched-up sheets and wooden stakes.

"Emily, I appreciate you doing this," said Micky, throwing everything off of him. "But next time, think about where you want it to fall."

"Sorry Micky," said Emily, rushing over to take the sheets and stakes. "Wait…I just…I just conjured!" A mile-wide grin appeared on her face as she admired her creation.

"Are these gonna be big enough to sleep in?" asked Mike, spreading one out.

"They were her first conjure," said Raul. "They always start out like this. Emily, that was a beautiful job."

"Thank you, Raul," said Emily. Mike looked at her and saw her satisfied, bright smile as she and Raul pitched the tents. She was rather pleased with herself, Mike thought. He wondered if she'd ever done anything pleased-worthy before that. There was still so much of her past he didn't know. As upset with her as he was for landing everybody on a deserted island, he felt like he had no choice but to admire her for her stubbornness and nobility. Although she was a little free-in-the-mind, her and Mike weren't too different after all.

After the tents were pitched and everyone was in them, as small as they were, Raul left to go into the woods. No, not to hunt, but to talk. He crept off as quietly as he could, careful not to disturb anyone, as he couldn't risk exposing what he was doing. Once he was deep enough into the trees, he stopped and snapped his fingers once. At once, before him in a puff of smoke appeared a hazy figure of none other than Gary Rowe.

"Well now Raul," said Gary. "How is progress?"

"I have The Monkees and Emily," said Raul. "I am bringing them to you as we speak."

"Perfect," said Gary. "Are they unsuspecting?"

"For the most part," said Raul. "Mike seems suspicious, but I can have that fixed. The girl is as dumb as rocks."

"Noted," said Gary. "You have done well."

"Thank you," said Raul. "I cannot stay for much longer, I have to be going."

"Then do so," said Gary. "I'll be waiting to hear more from you." With that, the figure of Gary disappeared in a haze, and Raul headed back to the camp.

"Everything okay?" asked Emily as she saw him come back.

"Yes Emily, I just had to walk off in thought," said Raul.

"Oh, alright then," said Emily, and she went back to sleep. Raul chuckled. This would be all too easy.


	6. Chapter 6

Back at the little music store in Los Angeles, Al was preparing to close for the night. As he made sure all of the money in the cash register was secure and all of the on-shelf items were safely under, he thought about Emily and her flute. It was pretty damn lucky that nothing catastrophic happened. A flute like the one she had could be highly unstable in the wrong hands. Al knew this because he wasn't as young as he looked—he knew this because it was he who made the flute one-hundred-and-thirty years ago for Emily's great-grandfather, Charles Rowe, the first of the Rowe family to own the enchanted flute.

Of course people will wonder how someone who looked to be in his mid-forties now could be old enough to be around over a hundred years ago, but if that very same man was able to make and sell an enchanted flute, then anything is possible. Magic keeps you young. When Mike Nesmith had walked in with Emily, he had no clue who she was or where that flute had been. He had his suspicions when the girl _finally _handed it over to him and he had a chance to look it over. Those markings…he had only seen them one place before. It had been so long…

And then she started playing. He knew it then, when the instruments started flying off the shelves and began to play with her. That was Randy Rowe's daughter, it had to be! That flowing blonde hair, those eyes…she looked just like her father. And the flute. That sweet sound, and the magic! He was amazed, shocked, that it came right back into his shop. This had to mean something great would happen…but just what?

Al was just about to get out from behind the counter and lock up when a man walked through the door. He had long-ish curly blond hair, cold blue eyes, and was tall and foreboding. Al recognized him right away.

"Well…Gary Rowe…it's been a long time," said Al, approaching him. "What can I do for you?"

"You can come with me," said Gary. "I know that you know where the flute is, Al. And you will teach me to use it once I get it."

"Like I would tell you where the Rowe Flute is," said Al. "You're young, but delusional."

"You misunderstand me," said Gary. "I know where the flute is now, and I have a faithful friend leading my _beloved _niece and her friends into my trap. What I need from you is instruction, and I _will _be needing it."

"If you think I would betray the Rowe family like you have and hurt that sweet girl, then you're dead wrong," said Al. "Who are these friends of hers that you have with her?"

"Four boys," said Gary. "Those long-haired-weirdo types."

"Not the boys," Al whispered. He turned back to Gary and spoke. "You may just be out of luck then Gary—that Mike Nesmith has a head on his shoulders, he probably sees something's wrong already!"

"No one will suspect a thing until it is too late," said Gary. "You have my word."

"But there's no way in hell I'm coming with you," said Al. "My place is here; not betrayal."

"Did you hear me give you a choice old man?" asked Gary. "I'm taking you with me no matter what you say."

Al laughed. "Well then sir, if you're taking me with you no matter what you say, perhaps it won't matter now if I speak my mind?" he said. "I think you're a crazy, power-obsessed speck of a man who has nothing better to do than betray his family and act like a royal a_sshole _all day long till the cows come home."

"Do you really think I care?" asked Gary. "You're coming with me."

with a hardcover book Al had forgotten to put away, and everything went black.

Gary smiled as he dragged Al out from behind the counter and slung him over his shoulder. There was no way he would not learn the secrets of the flute now, not with its maker in his clutches.

_Back on the island:_

The guys were jolted awake by Raul and Emily talking while gathering up some supplies. "Oh, good, you're all up," said Raul, noticing. "Come; we have to pack up and be on our way soon if we are to get some miles behind us."

"Dammit…the sun's barely up," moaned Micky as he sat up groggily. "Why can't we sleep in?"

"You want to be off this island, don't you?" asked Raul.

"Yeah, but I wanna be awake for it," said Micky. "Anyone else seeing eye-to-eye here?"

"Seeing wha?" said Davy groggily. "What time is it anyway?"

"Well, judging by the color of the sky and the angle of the sun…I'd say around five-thirty in the morning," said Emily, looking at the sky through the trees.

"Oh…the places I'd rather be right now," groaned Peter. He tried to get out of his little tent, but it collapsed around him, knocking him right back down to the ground.

"Come on Pete, as much as I don't like it either, we have to do this," said Mike. "Just think—the sooner we get moving, the sooner we can be back sleeping in our own beds!"

"Well, well, well, look who's in a better mood this morning!" said Emily. "I guess all you needed was some sleep, Mike."

"Yeah, don't push it Emily," said Mike. "Get up out of there Peter, we've gotta get moving."

"Yeah, thanks for the help," said a grumpy Peter, untangling himself from the fallen tent. Once he was up, Emily collected the supplies and put them in the sack Raul had made early in the morning.

"You're not gonna make any more tents from thin air?" asked Davy.

"That can tire her out and make her weak," said Raul. "She has to be careful how much magic she uses."

"Plus we already have tents," said Emily. "It would be silly to make more if they're already here."

"Can they at least be expanded," said Mike, taking one of the tents and spreading it out again. "It was like sleeping in a doghouse."

"Oh no Mike! Don't you start getting grumpy already!" said Emily, waving her finger at Mike like a disappointed mother.

"Mike? Grumpy?" said Micky, coming up next to him. "Oh no, that never happens!"

"You're pushing your luck Mick," said Mike. "Come on, we're burning daylight."

"Psh, what daylight?" asked Micky, but Mike prodded him along to follow Raul, who was already off on his way with Emily following close behind.

"So how much longer?" asked Peter.

"Still a few days," said Raul. "This is why we must wake up early."

"And what are we going to run into today?" asked Mike. "A rushing river? Quicksand?"

"Don't be silly now," said Raul. "That stuff doesn't come until later."

"You _must _be joking!" said Davy. "Please sir, tell me you're joking."

"I wish I was Davy, but I'm afraid I'm not joking," said Raul.

"Oh, great…just great," said Davy. "How could it get better?"

"I think I know how it could get worse," squeaked Peter, who had frozen and was now pointing in the direction of the bushes.

"Pete, what's the matter?" asked Mike, approaching him cautiously.

"Something's moving in there," said Peter, still pointing.

"I don't see anything," said Mike, looking closer.

"I dunno about you, but I'm hearing something," said Micky, coming up to Peter and Mike for a closer look.

"Quiet, lemme listen," said Mike, shushing the others. He leaned forward and squinted, as if that would make him hear any better. Sure enough, when the others were quiet enough, he started to hear a sound…it sounded like growling.

"What the hell is that?" hissed Davy, jumping back. "I swear, if that's what I think it is I'm running for it, I am!"

"It's probably nothing," said Emily, coming over. "What could it possibly be?"

"Emily is right, we should probably keep walking," said Raul. "Come, follow me."

"Oh my God, it just moved!" Peter suddenly shrieked as they started to move out.

"Peter, would you—" Mike started, but before he could finish a word, out of the trees and bushes leapt a huge, growling, and very angry-looking tiger.

"Oh, yeah, right Emily, _that _sure is nothing!" Micky screamed, nearly leaping into Mike's arms.

"Run for your life!" Davy screamed. The tiger snarled and lunged at Davy, who jumped back and really _did _leap into Mike's arms.

"Okay guys, here's what we're gonna do," said Mike quietly and calmly while putting Davy down as the tiger slowly approached the group. "We're not gonna take our eyes off of it…and slowly, _very _slowly, we're going to walk away…with no sudden movements. Understand?"

The others nodded silently and started to back off, following Mike. It seemed to work; the tiger was calming down and starting to back off. The group was still being very cautious, taking step by silent step. Peter was still very shaken, however, and though he was being just as quiet as the rest of them, one of his shaky steps back landed on a twig, which he broke…very loudly.

At the sound of the twig breaking, the group's heads snapped forward to the tiger, who was now starting to produce a low rumble. Its teeth bared, it started to move forward again, its eyes locked on Peter, whose eyes were wide and bottom lip starting to tremble.

"Peter, Peter, just stay put and don't say a word," said Mike, putting his arm in front of the poor guy. Peter was trembling more than ever now and the tiger was getting closer and closer, until it was within inches of him and Mike. Peter stumbled a but again as he stepped back and the tiger let out a loud growl, showing all of its sharp, white teeth. Davy squeaked and ran to hide behind Micky. Emily and Raul stood back a bit, until Emily brandished her flute and came forward.

"Emily, what the hell do you think you're doing?" hissed Mike while trying to shield three other Monkees from a very angry cat.

"Music calms the savage beast," sung Emily, getting her flute ready.

"But that flute's magic, you don't know what it'll do!" said Mike.

"Yeah, it could…uh…well I dunno what it could do, but it could be something bad!" said Micky.

"Relax Micky," said Raul with a grin. "Let Emily do her work." He was curious to see what the flute would do to the tiger with Emily at the helm. Would it turn out useful like when she conjured up the tents, or would it all crash and burn like the boys thought? Raul really didn't care; his job wasn't to make sure that they all got to Gary _totally _unharmed.

Despite everyone's protest, Emily stepped forward with her flute to her lips. After drawing in a deep breath, she blew, playing one long, sweet, singing note. The tiger's gaze left Peter and now rested on Emily. The girl was unabashed and kept on playing her flowing melody. Soon, the tiger's growling ceased, and it began to back off. Emily kept playing, but just when it seemed to be getting safe again, her finger slipped on a key, and she played a _very _wrong note. Her eyes grew wide and she stopped, and the tiger snapped its eyes back to her.

"Oh…shit," Emily squeaked. The tiger began to growl again, and out of nowhere, it lunged at her. Emily screamed and shielded herself with her hands, but she found herself shoved aside and falling on the ground. She opened her eyes and saw Raul grappling with the tiger, trying to fight it off. Not trying, actually, but doing so, with great skill. He jumped on its back and wrapped his strong, muscular arms around its neck. The tiger fought, trying to gore Raul with its claws, but it couldn't reach him. The struggle didn't go on for much longer; Raul was strong, and soon the tiger stopped fighting and fell to the floor dead with its windpipe crushed.

"What just happened?" asked Peter, who had shut his eyes once Emily started to play the flute. "Is anyone dead yet?"

"Just the tiger," said Raul, climbing off of it.

"It's okay Peter, you can open your eyes," said Mike. Peter did, and jumped a bit at the site of the dead tiger. Mike then turned to Emily. "Em, do you have any idea how dumb that was?"

"Yes," said Emily, with her head hung. "We all could have died…I—I'm sorry." She walked off to sit under a tree some feet away.

Mike tried to go after her, but Davy stopped him. "Leave her be for now," said Davy. "She's still shaken."

"All right," said Mike, although it wasn't. Emily actually knew she did something wrong this time…and she was upset. But why Mike was this worried about it, he had no clue. While everyone was distracted with Emily, however, Raul slinked off into the trees.

_At Gary's home on the other side of the island:_

Gary was coming back up from the basement after locking up a still-unconscious Al when the hazy figure of Raul appeared before him. "Well now," said Gary to the figure. "Do we have news?"

"Emily used the flute again," said Raul.

"And what disaster was this?" asked Gary.

"It actually wasn't, at first," said Raul. "She played it very well…she was holding off a tiger who was about to attack. It was working, until she played a wrong note."

"What happened after that?" asked Gary.

"The tiger attacked," said Raul.

"What did you do?" asked Gary again.

"I killed the tiger," said Raul. "I could not risk it killing Emily; she is too important to you right now."

"Very good," said Gary. "But…she knows how to use the flute?"

"Yes," said Raul. "She conjured up camping supplies yesterday. Ratty pieces of cloth, but they were useful."

"I see," said Gary. "She may be a little more useful than I had thought before, but I have now in my house a most valuable asset…the very man who made and sold the flute."

"That is good news," said Raul. "I'm sure you will use him well."

"I have plans to," said Gary.

"I must go now," said Raul. "The others will grow suspicious if I am gone too long, and I'm probably the only one who could prevent them from getting killed on this island. I fear for them sometimes."

"No need to," said Gary. "This bunch isn't worth worrying over."

"Noted," said Raul. "I must be off." His figure faded away and left Gary smiling. He knew he left that idiotic group in capable hands.

_Later that night at the campsite:_

Night had fallen and Mike couldn't believe how many stars were out. He sat outside his doghouse of a tent and looked up at them and how beautiful they were. Every now and then he'd look from the stars and over to Emily, who was still sitting secluded by the tree. Every once in a while she would get up and do something, but she wouldn't interact with any of them. Finally, after ages of thinking about it, Mike stood up and walked over to her. He sat down, and she didn't even budge. There was an awkward silence for a while with the two of them just sitting and looking everywhere but the other.

"So…nice night, huh?" Mike finally said.

"Not too bad," said Emily, still facing forward.

"Aw, come on Em, what's bugging you?" asked Mike.

"I almost killed myself and everyone else," said Emily. "I know I should start listening to you…that was stupid of me."

"Emily, no one got hurt," said Mike. That girl was starting to break his heart. "You wanted to help, and guess what, you actually started to do a good job. You just made a mistake, everyone does."

Emily looked back up at Mike. "You—you're not mad at me this time?" she asked with all the innocence of a little girl.

"No, not this time," said Mike. "You really showed that overgrown house cat what for back there you know."

"Really?" asked Emily.

"Yeah Emily, that was very brave of you," said Mike.

"Th—thanks Mike," said Emily. "I still can't help but feel terrible and stupid…but…thanks."

"No sweat," said Mike. He smiled and with a second of thought he placed his hat on Emily, just like when they met. Emily jumped in surprise and smiled when she realized what had happened. That woman's smile could light up the night brighter than the moon, Mike thought. So bright and sweet; natural.

"You outta perk up a bit," said Mike. "You ain't bugging me at all; you're doing something wrong!"

"Well if you don't like it I'll be sure to annoy you as much as possible," said Emily. "Starting now." She leaned over and kissed Mike on the cheek, and then walked off, still wearing his hat. Mike stayed there and watched her walk away, oddly not very annoyed by what Emily had done at all. The question was why?


	7. Chapter 7

It was morning once again and Mike was the first one up, trying to start a campfire for whatever Raul was bringing back for breakfast. He had gone camping when he was younger so it wasn't too hard, but he still had to put forth an effort. As he was getting a flame, Davy came over and sat down next to him. "Hey Davy," Mike said, getting the flame started. "You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep anymore," said Davy. "Where's your hat?"

Mike touched his head and noticed that it was still off. "Oh, uh, Emily must still have it," he said.

"Oh?" said Davy, gaining interest. "And what would Emily be doing with your hat?"

"She was still bummed out last night after what happened with the flute and the tiger," said Mike. "So I tried to cheer her up a bit."

"I see," said Davy. "I thought you hated her, why do you need to cheer her up?"

"I never hated her," said Mike. "She just annoyed me. She looked sad, okay? I don't like to see people upset so I went over to help her."

"Sure, right, I believe you," said Davy. "I think you're getting a soft spot for that girl."

"Soft spot?" said Mike. "What are you talking about? Soft spot!"

"I'm _talking _about that maybe you have feelings for Emily," said Davy.

"Oh, come on Davy!" said Mike. "That's silly! Just because you're always the one who gets the girl doesn't mean you can tell what other people feel for each other!"

"Whatever you say man, but I still think you're too proud to admit it," said Davy. "I'll save the I-told-you-so for the wedding, dig?"

"No, I don't 'dig', now scat!" snapped Mike.

"Okay, okay, don't freak out now man," said Davy, grinning as he got up and walked off to his tent. Mike got up and followed him as soon as he fixed up the fire. Micky and Peter were hanging around the tents, still waiting on Raul to come back with food. He did, carrying one of the rags Emily had conjured up with the tents, full of eggs.

"Food!" exclaimed Micky. "We're saved!"

"I sure can eat all of those if I wanted," said Peter.

"But you can't and won't," said Raul with a wry grin. "Is there a fire going?"

"Yeah, I started one," said Mike, rather pleased with himself.

"Perfect Mike," said Raul. "Let's get these started. Has anyone seen Emily?"

The gang looked around, confused. "Uh…I haven't have any of you?" asked Mike, still looking.

"No, not sense last night," said Micky.

"Well, we have to find her, she has Mike's hat!" Davy joked.

"Come on Davy, this is no time to joke!" said Peter, starting to panic. "Emily's missing and this place is huge and dangerous!"

"Relax Peter," said Raul. "Emily will be fine; she's got a good head on her shoulders and will be able to find her way."

"We should at least look for her," said Mike.

"Yeah, cause Mike's r_eally _worried about his hat!" said Davy.

"Shut _up _Davy," said Mike through gritted teeth and elbowing him in the ribs.

"Mike, I don't think you should be worrying about your hate now!" said Peter. "Emily's more important right now!"

"Davy's joking Pete," said Mike, rolling his eyes. "Okay everybody, let's all stay together for this one; it's too dangerous to split up in this place. She can't have gone far." The group rushed off in one direction to look for Emily. Raul stayed in front, curious and worried. He couldn't lose Emily; she had the flute that Gary needed, and if he lost that, there would be hell to pay. Hopefully she really didn't get too far so he could at least get the flute safe and unharmed. But to retain the trust of the boys, Emily should be saved and kept as safe as possible.

"This way," said Raul, leading the group on their search.

_Earlier in the jungle:_

Emily was wandering around just outside the campsite without a care in the world, Mike's had on her head, and flute in hand. She had cheered up a lot since the night before when Mike went to talk to her. It was very nice seeing Mike's soft side; he was great when he was a leader, but the word "bossy" often came to mind when he was in charge. She also loved his hat…she didn't want to take it from him permanently, but she swore when they got off this island that she would get one as soon as she could.

The further she walked into the trees, the more anxious she got. What if she couldn't find her way back to the campsite? She had better turn back before she got lost. She turned around, but saw that the path didn't look the same as it had before. Again she turned, and it just didn't look the same…was she lost? She tried not to panic as she wildly whipped around, her hair fanning out in all direction around her. There was rustling in the bushes suddenly, and Emily's heart started to pound. She hoped that whatever or whoever was in those bushes couldn't hear it. It happened fast after that; there was a dull pain in her arm as she was sharply yanked into the trees by some sort of limb. A hand covered her mouth so she couldn't yell out for help, and another dull pain on the top of her head as she felt Mike's hat slip off her head. Then everything went black.

_Back with the boys:_

Mike, Micky, Peter, Davy, and Raul had been searching for Emily for ages with still no luck, and Mike was starting to get very worried, almost panicky. "Man, this is starting to freak me out," said Mike. "What if something bad happened to her?"

"Maybe she found her way back to the campsite?" asked Micky.

"No, that'd be too easy for Emily," said Davy. "Raul, what do you think?"

"Keep looking," said Raul. "That's all we can do for now. Everyone have an eye out."

"Hey!" exclaimed Peter. "I think I found something, look at this!" The rest of the group rushed over to see what Peter was pointing at on the ground. When Mike saw he felt like his heart was going to come flopping right out of his mouth. On the ground partially covered in leaves and dirt was his own green wool hat, complete with a strand of long, blonde hair.

"Oh no…" Mike whispered, trembling as he picked it up, careful to keep the hair with the hat. "This doesn't look good guys…"

"What does this mean?" asked Peter, looking and feeling like he could be sick.

"It means that _something _went wrong," said Micky.

"Well, she definitely passed through here," said Davy. "Is there any clue as to which direction she went in?"

"The bushes look disturbed," said Raul, running his hands through the leaves of one. "It looks like it may have been a struggle. Let's look for clues." Without another word, the boys, with Mike out in front, rushed to the bushes and fumbled through the leaves and branches to see what they could find.

"Hey!" yelled Davy. "I think I found something!" Mike rocketed over to Davy to see what he found. Davy was holding up a small stone object, an arrowhead.

"Ah geez!" Mike exclaimed in surprise. "Do you think Emily could be hurt?"

"No, not at all, at least not by that," said Raul, recognizing the arrowhead immediately. "There's no blood." Of course he knew that arrowhead…how could Emily have gotten into this? She was kidnapped by Raul's own island clan, and he knew exactly what they had in mind for her. He knew that he said the girl was smart, but no…just no…she was just about as bright as a burnt-out candle.

"Do you have any idea of where she could be?" asked Mike.

"As a matter of fact, I do," said Raul, feeling frazzled. "Follow me, I know exactly where she is." Raul leading the way, the group went off. This was ridiculous…how in the world that girl could get herself captured like that was beyond him.

"How much farther?" asked Peter, recovering from getting hit in the face with a palm frond.

"Just around the corner here," said Raul, expertly navigating through the branches, unlike the other four who were very clumsy. Raul took a deep breath and turned the corner with the others behind him, and of course he was expecting just what he saw.

It was a small camp with a handful of men and women, all as tan and fit as Raul. There was a circle of tents, a fire pit, and, of course, Emily, still holding the flute, thank God. The clansmen had her lying down on a cushioned litter and she was surrounded by men feeding her grapes from the vine. She was dressed in a beautiful pale blue gown and her hair had been braided intricately. Oh no, thought Raul. This was not good.

"Oh, hey everybody!" Emily called, waving. "It's about time you found this place! They're just so nice to me here it's unbelievable! Oh, and you know what else?" She looked both ways before she cupped her hand around her mouth and whispered with a huge smile, "_They think I'm a virgin!" _

"Oh no…" groaned Raul, putting his hand to his face.

"And…you're not, right?" asked Mike.

"No, but they can't know that, I don't think," said Emily. "Otherwise they'd stop giving me all of this great stuff!"

"Ah, Raul, my son!" said the biggest, grandest-looking man there, and obviously Raul's father. "You have come just in time to witness the sacrifice!"

"A sacrifice?" asked Emily. "In my honor? Well, I'm not usually one for that kind of thing, but if those are your customs, I won't knock them." Raul groaned again. Yes, once this bunch got to Gary they'd possibly be killed anyway, but this was putting a damper on his plans…Emily was important right now.

"No, my dear," spoke Raul's father. "You are the sacrifice!"

Emily cocked her head to the side. "Beg pardon?" she asked.

"My dear, this is a great honor!" said Raul's father. "You have been chosen to be the year's virgin sacrifice! Waiting for you in the afterlife are all the riches you can ever imagine! Be thankful you were chosen." Raul flinched as the four guys eyes shot to him.

"A _virgin sacrifice?" _Mike guffawed. "This is insane! Emily, you can't be sacrificed!"

"What do you expect me to do?" asked Emily, wildly looking around as if trying to find an escape. "How do I get out of this?"

"Just tell them that you're not a virgin," said Micky. "They won't be able to sacrifice you then."

"Okay, great idea Micky, how didn't I think of that?" said Emily brightly. She turned to Raul's father and the other clansmen. "So, about that sacrifice…" she started. "I'm no virgin you see, so there's no way you could sacrifice me! It wouldn't be truthful, and I don't think whatever deity you'd be sending me to would be too happy about that." She smiled, looking pleased with herself.

Raul's father gave a booming laugh, making everyone flinch. "But my dear, that is impossible!" he said.

"How is it impossible? She told you what's up!" said Davy defensively.

"Yeah man, how in the world do you have the right to say she's lying?" said Mike, feeling very desperate.

"A young woman such as this is hard to come by," said Raul's father, stroking Emily's hair, despite her slight protests. "She is radiating with innocence and naïveté and a childlike aura that only comes from one who is pure. I have never seen one like her in my life."

"But…if someone like Emily is hard to come by…doesn't that mean you _shouldn't _kill her?" asked Micky.

"Yes father, that makes perfect sense to me," said Raul, really trying to get out of this. If He didn't het Emily a_nd _the flute to Gary, he'd be in for it.

"But that is exactly why she must be sacrificed!" said Raul's father. "The gods will be pleased with us for sending them this beautiful, pure, young woman."

"Someone do something!" said Emily. "I _really _don't wanna die here!"

Micky stepped forward, standing tall and said dramatically, "Please, good sir! Will you find it in your heart to spare this young woman who indeed has had all of the pleasures of womanhood that you don't believe she has had! Tis unfair and unjust! Take Peter instead!" He flung his harms out in the direction of Peter who looked baffled and frightened.

"Micky!" he whined, taken aback. "They can't take me, are you crazy!"

"Pete's right Micky, that's ridiculous!" said Mike.

"But he _is _a virgin, isn't he?" asked Davy.

Peter looked outraged. "No I'm not!" he said. "Don't any of you remember Valarie?"

"Oh, right _one_," said Davy, holding up a finger.

"No!" snapped Peter. "There were others!"

"Like the girl you brought to your Cub Scout meeting?" asked Davy.

Peter was just about to retort when Mike cut in. "Okay guys, knock it off, this is serious now!" he said. He turned to Raul's father. "Sir, is there any way we can excuse this sacrifice? Emily's our friend, and we'd hate to see her die, for _any _cause. Please?"

Raul's father stroked his chin, contemplating. "Well…there is one thing," he said.

"And what's that?" asked Mike calmly. He always impressed the others with his ability to handle situations.

"The girl cannot die if she is not a virgin," said Raul's father.

"Which I'm _not_," Emily huffed, frustrated and fearing for her life.

"So, if one of you young men were to…take care of that in one of the tents over there…she will be safe and immune to any sacrifice," Raul's father said.

Mike, Peter, Micky, and Davy looked around wide-eyed at each other, wondering what the hell to do. "Just saying, just cause I'm the ladies' man doesn't mean I'm gonna do it," said Davy.

"No one's gonna do it," said Mike.

"How are we gonna save her then?" asked Peter, looking positively terrified.

"Raul, what do you think?" asked Micky. "Personally I can hop on in there if no one else will…"

"Shut up Micky, I have an idea," snapped Mike. "No one is gonna…do it…with anybody!"

"But they'll never believe she's not a virgin if no one does," said Raul.

"I swear, I think this is the only time in the history of the world that someone has told five guys to do the nasty with a beautiful woman and they all say 'no'," muttered Davy.

"What's your bright idea Mike?" asked Micky.

"I'll improvise," said Mike, stepping forward. "Excuse me, Mr. Chief, sir, I volunteer to—er—help Emily."

"Oh, Mike, I knew you would!" Emily exclaimed, leaping into his arms.

"Don't get too excited honey, we're not gonna do it, I'm just gonna get you out of here," Mike whispered into her ear as he walked her cautiously to the tent.

"What do you mean?" asked Emily, sounding crestfallen once they were in the tent.

"I mean _no _sex will be had, I'm just gonna get all of us out of this safely," said Mike.

"Oh," said Emily.

"What, did—did you actually—want to?" asked Mike, not believing his ears, and eyes of course at Emily's disappointed-looking face.

"Hey, I have needs too ya know," said Emily, putting her hands on her hips sternly.

"Yeah, so do I, but not with you, and d_efinitely _not here," Mike snapped. "Now come on, we have to think…we have to make it look like we've actually done it when we come out."

"You know, the best way to make it look like it is if it's actually done," said Emily.

"My God Emily, no means no," said Mike. "Unbraid your hair and tussle it around a little."

"Fine," said Emily, rolling her eyes and doing as Mike told her. "How long do you suppose we have to stay in here then?"

"Well, however long it usually takes," said Mike, sitting on the raised cushion in the middle of the tent. He patted the seat gesturing for Emily to sit down, and she did. "An hour maybe?"

Emily gave a little guffaw of laughter. "An hour?" she asked. "Isn't that a little cocky of you? That's an awfully long time sir."

"How long do you think then?" asked Mike, his pride hurt just a little bit.

"I'd say closer to forty-five minutes or so, maybe half an hour," said Emily.

"How 'bout we meet in the middle with forty-five?" asked Mike.

"Fine by me," said Emily. "But what are we gonna do, just sitting around for that long in a tent? Just the two of us?"

"Man Emily, why do you want to sleep with me so bad?" asked Mike, flattered but a little freaked out just the same.

"Well, you're a nice, very handsome man," said Emily. "But if you don't want to, there's nothing I can do."

"That's right," said Mike, sweating a little by now. When in his lifetime would he be trapped in a tent with a beautiful woman who wanted him _this _bad? If it wasn't Emily, he'd be all over her, but the fact was that it _was _Emily, so she was off-limits. Still, he had to keep his male instincts under wraps, quite literally.

"Why don't you jump and run around a bit, get flushed and such," said Mike, stumbling around his own words.

"Come on, in a tent?" asked Emily. "Mike, I'm not as dumb as you think I am."

"Please Em?" asked Mike, just wanting to get this over with.

"Alright, for you, but you owe me," said Emily. She started to run around the tent in circles, and Mike hoped it would bring the old Emily back and throw this new, bold, brash, and not to mention horny Emily out the window. It was too much to handle. She finished after a while, and her long hair was tussled about her, her face was flushed and red, and she was breathing hard. Mike couldn't help but notice her chest heaving…it was hard to take his eyes away.

"Thanks Emily, that's good," said Mike bashfully, attempting to look away from that splendid sight. It then occurred to him that he'd seen her naked…oh my…the sooner they got out of this tent, the better, no matter how much it hurt his pride.

"Are you okay Mike?" asked Emily, sitting down very close to him. "You look tense."

"Oh, yeah, like I haven't heard that one before," said Mike. "Stop coming on to me and let's get out of here; it's been long enough."

"Whatever you say," sighed Emily. "You missed out, but we can pull this off."

"Right," said Mike, grabbing Emily's hand with his own already clammy one and walking them both out of the tent. They arrived to see a pleased-looking Raul's father and clansmen, and a very confused and appalled-looking Micky, Davy, Peter, and Raul. "Okay, deed's done, she's deflowered, can we get out of here now?" asked Mike, rushed, heading over to the guys.

"Very well, you may go now," said Raul's father. "Although we are less one sacrifice, I am impressed with your dedication to save your friend."

"Right, great, come on guys, let's go," said Mike, practically pushing the others out of the camp. Thanks to Mike, they were out in a split second.

Once they were far enough away, camp was set up again; rest was needed after all of that craziness. Emily was alone, but _heavily _watched by everyone, as to not repeat an episode like the last.

"So," asked Davy, who came up to Mike with Peter and Micky. "How was it?"

"How was what?" asked Mike.

"Did you actually do it with her?" asked Davy.

"No, of course not!" said Mike.

"It sure looked like it," said Micky. "Why not?"

"Man, it's _Emily_," said Mike. "It didn't seem right."

"It sure seemed like she wanted to," said Davy.

"Oh boy…lemme tell you…she was all over me!" said Mike. "She wanted me _so freaking bad_, but I couldn't. But if I were any less of a man, I would've been all over her, and that's a fact."

"I appreciate your self-control Mike!" said Peter.

"Aw, Mike, you respect her!" said Micky. "Come on, that just proves you like her!"

"Do not!" said Mike.

"Mike, you're not fooling anyone," said Davy. "Not even Peter, and that's saying something!"

"Shut up Davy," said Peter.

"Guys, just stop it already," said Mike. "Emily and I are never going to happen, so let that end it!" Of course, Mike couldn't read the future. Back in that tent all he wanted to do was take Emily in his arms and do all sorts of things, romantic and horribly, horribly wrong to her, but perhaps Davy was right. He respected her…but that didn't mean he liked her at all. Did it?


	8. Chapter 8

It was the next day again and the gang was on the move. "Wait right here for a moment," said Raul once they got to a clearing. "I must do something quick, do not worry."

"Whatcha gotta do?" asked Peter.

"Pete, I don't think that's your business," said Mike. "Go on Raul, do what you need to do."

"I will do that," said Raul, slinking off into the trees again. Of course he was going to speak to Gary again. He wondered how he'd react to yesterday's little snag. Hopefully not too strongly, sense they managed to save Emily without her getting hurt or losing the flute. Once he was far enough away, he snapped his fingers, and Gary appeared before him once more.

"This is a surprise Raul," said Gary. "What's happening?"

"We got slightly delayed," said Raul. "Emily came upon my clan."

"Isn't that the one who does virgin sacrifices?" asked Gary. "Oh no…please tell me that she is not dead by their hand."

"She is alive and well," said Raul. "But we are behind."

"Is the flute safe?" asked Gary.

"Yes, she never let it out of her sight, let alone her hand," said Raul.

"She may not know its power, but she sure knows how to take care of it," said Gary. "Very well then, and thank you for giving me the news. You have proven to be quite a competent young man, Raul."

"Thank you sir," said Raul. "I shall see you in only a few days; we are getting close."

"Can you see the mountains?" asked Gary.

Raul looked off into the distance and saw the high, snowy peaks of the island mountain range scraping the sky. Those mountains were treacherous. Not many people were known to pass through them alive…going through them would prove a challenge, but it was the only way to the other side of the island. "Yes, yes I can," he said. "Those will be crossed with as much caution as possible."

"They must be," said Gary. "I must go now…my guest needs tending to."

"Al?" asked Raul. "Yes, do that, I understand he is crucial."

"Very," said Gary. With that, he faded away, presumably to get more information out of Al about the flute and how it worked. Raul stayed back for a moment and then walked back to the others as if nothing had happened.

Later, Mike was walking around until he came across a small pond with a waterfall not far off from where the rest of the group was. It was pretty, the water clear, the waterfall small, and bright flowers all around. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he continued to walk around until he saw that someone was under the waterfall bathing. Seeing the bright blonde hair, he noticed it was Emily. She turned around slightly to face him and smiled.

"Hello Mike," she said. "You may not want to look—I remember the last time I paraded around in the nude you were very uncomfortable."

"Oh—uh—right, yeah sorry," said Mike, a little surprised, looking down. With all of her hair wrapped around her body, it didn't seem to him that Emily was naked, but she was bathing, of course.

"Don't worry about it," said Emily. "Just looking out for your sensibilities. Say, why don't I get out and get dressed and we can explore a little?"

"Well, you can get out and dress if you want to," said Mike, r_eally _forcing himself not to look at Emily, soaking wet under the waterfall. "But the last time you went exploring it was a disaster."

"Oh, right," said Emily, laughing. "Well, I think I'll get out anyway!" Mike forced his eyes to stay at the ground as Emily climbed out of the pond and went for her clothes and the flute. Looking down, he couldn't help but see her long, smooth legs and small, delicate feet. He very badly wanted to sneak a look at the rest of her, but he was a respectable man and would have it stay that way. He managed to avert his eyes until Emily was fully clothed. He looked up at her and saw that she was soaking through her clothes…it was so hard to have decent thoughts around her anymore, especially sense yesterday.

"S—so what do you wanna do?" asked Mike, keeping his eyes to hers.

"I was thinking just hang around here if exploring is out of the question," said Emily. "We can see the site well enough from here so we can see if the guys are on the move again, and it's beautiful here."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," said Mike. The view was not so bad so far…

Emily was fiddling with the buttons on her flute and staring off spacily into the distance. "I kinda want to play…" she said. "But I'm scared to."

"Why?" asked Mike.

"Well, it got us here," said Emily. "And you remember what happened with the tiger. I hit a bum note and it nearly killed us."

"Look Em, I know I've been harsh in the past, but everyone makes mistakes sometimes," said Mike, inching closer. "I'm just impatient having to chase after those other three guys all the time. I shouldn't have ever yelled at you or kicked you out of the pad, or anything."

Emily looked up at Mike, her blue eyes bright and her face positively glowing. "It means so much to hear you say that," she said. "So…you wouldn't mind if I played now?"

"Knock yourself out," said Mike. "What's the worst that could happen?" Emily smiled bigger and started to play without another word. It was the usual pretty melody she usually played. Like usual, it took a while for something to happen, but when it did, instead of fear and anger, Mike was filled with wonder. The brightly colored flowers in the ground uprooted themselves and flew around them, embedding in their hair. The soft pink of the flowers in Emily's hair stood out wonderfully and were the same color as her soft-looking lips. Of course there was a flower or two in Mike's hair where his hat wasn't covering, but he didn't care at all. It was a beautiful thing that was happening.

Emily finished playing and put her flute down. The flowers stopped flying, but they remained in their hair. "You see?" said Mike. "That was harmless!"

"Yes, you're right," said Emily. "Thank you Mike."

"Don't mention it," said Mike.

"Here, you try!" Emily suddenly said, shoving the flute into Mike's hands.

"What? Me?" said Mike in shock. "You've gotta be kidding me, I can't play this!"

"Yes you can!" said Emily. "You're a musician, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't play the flute," said Mike. "I play the guitar! And plus, this thing is enchanted, who knows what'll happen if I try to play it?"

"Come on Mike, you're the one telling me not to be scared," said Emily. "And do tell me if I'm wrong, but if you truly love music, doesn't it reside in the heart and not only the fingers? Just believe, and any sound you make out of that flute will be music, and nothing bad will happen, I promise."

Those words were among the most beautiful Mike had ever heard anyone say. Emily spoke with such truth and heart and love that he could not refuse her. Slowly and with a shaky hand, he put the flute up to his lips. The silver was colder than he thought it would be at first, but his breath warmed it. Emily took a hold of his hands to show him where his fingers should be and he jumped. Her hands were warm and soft as he thought they would be; her fingers long and delicate.

"Alrighty then," said Mike once his fingers were in place. "Let's see how this goes…" He drew a breath in, and blew softly across the mouthpiece. A very hollow sound came out, and nothing magical happened, but Mike being the stubborn Texan he was tried again. Repositioning his embouchure, he tried again, this time getting a better sound. Not having a clue what fingerings would do what to the melody, he tried anyway, attempting at the flowing melody that Emily had played. It was shaky and airy, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get into the high singing register that Emily could, but in that dark (well, somewhat) low register, a single flower came out of the ground, floated for a bit, and landed in the pond, creating rippled around it. He stopped and looked at the flower in the pond in wonder.

"Did I…just do that?" asked Mike.

"Yes, you did," said Emily. "You see? Nothing to it!"

"Wow…" said Mike, still dumbstruck. "Emily…I…that was fantastic!"

"I thought you'd enjoy that," said Emily. She was very glad that Mike had made something happen with the flute; also that Mike had succeeded in not being grumpy for once. She thought that maybe he was finally turning around; he really was a beautiful person.

_At Gary's house_:

Gary could not believe his eyes as he watched Emily and Mike in his seeing-glass. That stupid young man, that _Monkee _Mike had succeeded in using the Rowe family flute! How was that possible? He had thought it was only the Rowe family who could use that sacred, treasured object! He was furious, outraged. Kicking over a chair on his way, he stormed down to the basement to speak to that flute's maker.

"You!" he yelled as he flung the door open to see Al sitting inside. "You have some explaining to do you wretched old man!"

"Oh, what is it _this _time sir?" asked Al with a sarcastic venom.

"That flute of yours!" Gary retorted. "A non-Rowe played it and made something happen!"

Al guffawed. "Well duh!" he said. "The magic is in the flute, not the Rowe family! Just because I made it for a family of musicians doesn't mean that no one else has the ability to make the magic happen."

"Well, that was _not _how _I _understood it," snapped Gary.

"Well…who used it?" asked Al.

"Mike Nesmith, the Monkee," said Gary with disgust.

"Oh, I see!" said Al. "Well, this is great news for me, yes it is!"

"Well not for me!" Gary screamed, grabbing Al by his shirt collar. "Listen, if you don't give me the secrets to the flute like you gave your dear friend, _Nesmith, _then I will make your stay here a living hell!"

Al laughed, despite. "What, and it isn't already?" he said. "And I didn't teach Mike any secrets; he figured it out all on his own. There's nothing to give."

Gary threw Al at the wall. "I'll get them out of you, just you wait!" Gary hissed, and ran out of the basement.

"Crazy guy," Al muttered once Gary was gone. He was very pleased however…Mike had used the flute, and Emily was improving. Once they got to Gary, they'd be unstoppable.

_Back at the pond:_

"Oh Mike, that's hilarious!" Emily laughed.

"Yeah, and you know what happened after that?" Mike said.

"What?" Emily asked eagerly.

"After I sent that stupid little polka band to their embassy, they let us play anyway!" said Mike. "Hey, if it weren't for me, we'd be short one gig!"

"Oh Mike, you sure are a groovy guy," said Emily.

"And you're one groovy chick, Emily," said Mike. They had been there for about an hour already, and the rest of the group was still on their rest. It was nice to just stop and hang out for a while; Mike had found out that Emily was more than that irritating little hippie girl that he thought she was when they met.

"Thank you Mike," said Emily. "Any other stories?"

"I could tell you about the time we had a crazy job at the answering service," said Mike. "But what about you? Any stories of your own?"

Emily stopped and thought for a moment. "I don't know what else there is to tell about me," she said. "I've already told you about the flute, how I ran off from my home in New York at fourteen…"

"Love?" Mike asked, suddenly regretting what he had just said.

Emily laughed. "Well, love?" she asked. "Not much on that subject…I've had fleeting romances on the road, but nothing I would call love…how about you?"

"Ah…" said Mike, wondering why his heart was racing. "I…uh…I've been in love before, yeah, but it never really ended well any time."

"Why?" asked Emily.

"I dunno," said Mike, shrugging. "Just…all the wrong people, I guess."

"Same here," said Emily. "I never really cared for commitment…of course you may find that hard to believe with the way I latched onto you." She laughed a bit and looked up dreamily. "But I've always dreamed that one day I'd lose my fear…like a fairytale…uhg, girl stuff, it's silly…"

"Nah, it's not," said Mike, his mouth feeling dry. "It's perfectly normal. Commitment can be scary."

"With the wrong people it could be," said Emily. "And from what I understand that's a problem we both have had."

"Maybe…if we found the right people, we wouldn't be afraid anymore?" asked Mike.

"Yes, wherever they are," said Emily wistfully. "Tell me Mike, do you believe in true love?"

"Eh, sometimes," said Mike. "Every time I meet someone I always think to myself, 'well Mike, I guess this is it! Papa Nez finally found The One,', but it never really happens that way in the end. But I'm still young I guess, I still have time."

"I'm the very same," said Emily. "Mike…you don't suppose…that we're the two for each other, do you?"

Mike suddenly shot his head up. "I—uh—what do you mean Em?" he asked, his heart pounding again. Uhg, why, why, why?

"You know," said Emily, not seeming the least bit nervous. "We both have the same relationship issues, and we seemed to have met by chance…what if it was all meant to be? But maybe I'm being silly, maybe I should just stop…"

"No Emily…it's fine," said Mike. "I—well—it's hard to say…"

"God, I'm so sorry Mike," said Emily. "What am I doing, going on about this 'The One' stuff? I'm silly…"

"No you're not Emily," said Mike. "Love isn't silly, and neither is talking about it, no matter what."

"So…I don't have to be embarrassed?" asked Emily.

"Not one bit," said Mike. This was driving him nuts…why was he feeling so crazy? Just the way Emily was looking at him was enough to make him start to melt. Those eyes…those bright blue eyes…there was a certain love-light that shone in them, but was it really love? And what was he feeling? His stomach was in knots and his head was swimming; dizzy.

"Does playing guitar give you rough fingers?" asked Emily, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah, it does," said Mike.

"May I see?" asked Emily. Okay…maybe not…

"Uh…sure, yeah, go ahead," said Mike, holding his left hand out. Emily took it softly in her own hand and examined his calluses on the fingertips. They were rough and showed the amount of work Mike put into his craft. They contrasted with Emily's very smooth hand. It was nice to feel Emily's hand…it was comforting for some reason. Maybe it was just the touch of another human being that made it so. Mike hoped to God that his hand wasn't getting clammy from his nerves, wherever they were coming from. Probably from all that time in the tent with Emily the day before that made him crazy with lust he could not let out.

"Very interesting," said Emily, stopping feeling Mike's calluses, but not letting go of his hand.

"Yeah…they're cool," Mike said. Cool? Wow, what a lame way to say it. He looked back into Emily's eyes again and saw that the love-light was still there. He held Emily's hand back and inched closer to her. "Uh…Em?" he asked. "So you…you think you just may be the one...huh?"

"It's a possibility," said Emily. "Care to find out?"

"I would, yes," said Mike. Emily leaned forward and Mike met her in the middle with a feathery touch to her lips with his own. Her long eyelashes tickled his nose and Mike deepened the kiss. Her lips were soft and smooth as her hands, which were rubbing his back ever so tenderly. Her hair was soft as well; just about everything about her was soft and delicate. Such a woman. The kiss was gaining intensity, getting faster and more passionate. Mike cradled Emily's body as she started to sink to the ground in pleasure. This was it…everything Mike had ever dreamed of since he could remember…until…

"Mike! It's time to go!"

Mike and Emily broke apart quickly at the sight of Peter standing over them with Micky, Davy, and Raul standing in the background. "Sorry man…"

"No matter," said Mike, disappointed and frustrated. He looked over at Emily, who was blushing furiously. The two nodded at each other and got up, both nearly stumbling. Mike saw that all-knowing glance between Micky and Davy, and Mike swore he would murder those two, along with Peter…mostly Peter…but now wasn't the time, thank goodness for those three. But, of course, other things were on Mike's mind…Emily…that kiss…could it be…what was the word…love?


	9. Chapter 9

"So Mike, how'd it happen?" bugged Davy for the millionth time as the group made their way down the path.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, okay?" said Mike through gritted teeth. "It's none of your business, and I'm about ready to murder Peter for walking in on it."

"Alright mate, don't get all up in knots now," said Davy. "Just saying, it looked like if Peter had kept his mouth shut, you and Emily would have gone a little farther."

"Yes, now please don't remind me," said Mike. Even more of a reason to be pissed off at Peter…it would pass soon, but as of right now there was no going back. "Now come on, we have to get through this…everyone here?"

"Yes…" said Peter, not over embarrassing Mike and Emily earlier.

"So what's coming up here Raul?" asked Emily, trotting up to him.

"Hopefully more trees," said Micky. "Though if I see another tree once we get off of this crazy place, I may cut it down…"

"We are headed to the river," said Raul.

"Well, how are we crossing it?" asked Mike. "Do we have a boat?"

"We do not," said Raul.

"Can Emily conjure one?" asked Micky.

"I can try…" said Emily. "But it probably won't be pretty."

"Aw, come on Em, remember about that not being afraid thing?" asked Mike, hoping to get a positive response. Emily just gave him a friendly smile and didn't respond with words. Was it because they were around other people, or was she just being her normal self? Either way, it was frustrating, and Mike was a little disappointed that Emily wasn't paying him the amount of attention she was just a few hours before. "How long till the river?" asked Mike again, trying to take his mind off of things.

"We'll reach it tomorrow," said Raul. "Once the sun goes down camp will be set and the river will be just a few minutes away."

"Is that some sort of halfway point or something?" asked Davy.

"After we cross the river, the next big thing we have to look out for are the mountains," said Raul.

"Are they…dangerous?" asked Peter, gulping.

"Very," said Raul simply. Peter gulped nervously again.

"Come on man, you're scaring him," said Mike. "I may be a little upset at him for reasons, but you need to cool it if we're gonna get him to go anywhere."

"Thanks Mike," Peter mumbled, still very freaked out anyway.

"And by the way Raul, I still don't believe you told us how we're going to get across this river," Mike said again.

"We will figure that out when we get there," said Raul. "Calm yourself Mike, there is no need to be on edge."

"Oh, I'll show you on edge," said Mike under his breath.

"Now, now Mike, don't get all grumpy again!" said Emily with all the sensitivity of his own mother. "Everything will turn out fine, don't you worry!"

Great, it seemed like she was back to normal, after all of that time her and Mike spent together only hours ago. Mike should have known that Emily couldn't be it for him…it was a silly little assumption. "Yeah, well, when we all drown in that river, we'll see who has the last laugh," Mike said again.

"Mike, Emily's right, lighten up," said Peter. "No one ever said that river was dangerous anyway!"

"It has a pretty strong current sometimes," said Raul casually.

"I stand corrected…" said Peter.

"But…you just said 'sometimes', right?" asked Micky, no matter how hard he tried to be confident, sounding nervous. "So…there's a chance that when we get there, it won't be too bad?"

"A slight possibility," said Raul. "But I wouldn't count on it."

"Oh can we just—ah, forget it!" Mike snapped. "Let's just not think about it till we get there."

"Mike, are you doing alright?" asked Davy.

"Yeah, that wasn't like you just there," said Micky.

"Oh, I'm fine, not out of character at all," said Mike. "Just being my normal self, that's all, nothing to it." Stupid Emily…how could he let her fool him like that? "How much longer do we have till we can set up camp?"

"We have plenty of time to spare," said Raul. "Calm yourself Mike, this is not an easy journey."

"Yeah, I figured that out," said Mike, storming in front of the crowd.

"What's with him?" asked Raul.

"I dunno," said Emily, but she thought very much that she did know what was wrong. Yes, there was talk of "the one," but was it really straightforward? Point being, Emily was frightened to death of what may happen if a commitment came about. She knew that was what was putting Mike off, but he'd get used to the idea soon enough. Mike was a smart, mature young man after all. She just hoped she would be able to deal with whatever scatterbrained-ness that would be caused by that silly little kiss.

"Well he's pissed off about something," said Davy. "And my betting is that it's about Peter walking in on you two."

"I already said I was sorry!" whined Peter. "Really, I am!"

"I don't think it's your fault Peter," said Emily. "Actually I'm quite sure it's me."

"Why would it be you?" asked Micky. "I mean…sorry to bring it up, I realize it's kinda private…but you two were kinda going at it back there."

"Well…I guess you can say I'm scared, that's all," said Emily. "I said what I said back there and we did what we did, but all in all…I'm not quite sure what it was and what it meant."

"Emily, you sound just like a Dr. Seuss book when you talk sometimes," said Davy, shaking his head. "But in all seriousness, I wouldn't worry about Mike—I'm _convinced _that he's in love with you. He's just too proud to admit it."

"But Davy, you sound like you're insinuating that I'm in love with Mike," said Emily. "Although him being in love with me would explain why he's so mad…" she looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "I wonder…"

"Well, are you?" asked Micky.

"I'm not sure," said Emily. "But is it really that important right now? I just want to think of home."

"Love is important," said Peter. "Makes the world go round!"

"Oh Peter, I just can't get enough of you," said Emily sweetly.

"Emily, I have the suspicion that you're avoiding the subject," said Davy.

"Just like Mike," said Micky.

"Oh, stop pestering me boys, I'm fine, really," said Emily. But was she? It was all so confusing. She had never felt this way before. She looked ahead and saw Mike walking ahead with Raul, and upon seeing Mike she felt even more confused. Sighing, she just kept walking, trying to ignore whatever it was she felt.

Night fell soon after, and Peter and Emily were setting up the tents. Mike and Davy were trying to start a fire, Raul was overseeing the whole thing, and Micky joined Mike and Davy once the fire was started. "Hey Mike, I think that was the quickest we ever got that started, what do you think?" asked Davy, trying to cheer up the still-sullen guitar player.

Mike said nothing and turned to look to the horizon. "So…that's the river out there," he said spacily. "Pretty big." The river in the distance did look large; more like a giant lake, but if Raul wanted to call it a river, then so be it. He wondered how long it would take to cross it the next day, and how. He trusted Raul with getting them across; he hadn't let them down yet…but it was a bit scary.

"Man Mike, tell us what's going on already," said Micky. "It _has _to be Emily!"

"Yeah, and so what if it is?" Mike snapped. "What does it matter to you?"

"We just want you to be happy mate," said Davy. "It's not like you to be this upset, especially over a girl."

"I never said it was her," said Mike, stealing a glance at her and Peter finishing one of the tents. What was her problem? All of that talk…and nothing…not even a passing glance.

"Well, when you're ready to talk, we're here," said Micky, but him nor Davy moved an inch away.

"Just…all of that 'you just may be the one' talk…" said Mike finally. "That kiss, all of that we shared, and it doesn't even feel like she remembers only a few hours ago."

"So, you finally open up," said Davy. "Truth be told about Emily—she's scared."

"Nothing to be scared of," said Mike. "I don't understand."

"She's obviously never felt this way before," said Micky. "So she doesn't know what to do about it."

"And let's face it Mike, you can be a scary person sometimes!" joked Davy.

Mike managed to crack a smile at that by some miracle. "Guys, you're all nuts," he said. "I'm always surrounded by nutters, it's ridiculous."

"Our pleasure," said Davy.

Mike shook his head and said, "We'd better get some sleep; if we're gonna have the strength to cross that so-called 'river' tomorrow, we're gonna need it now."

"Right," said Davy. "Night Mike."

"Night," said Micky.

"Night guys," said Mike. "And…thanks, by the way." Davy and Micky smiled back at him as they went over to Peter and Emily. Mike didn't go to sleep right away; he stayed up for a bit longer looking at the stars again. Why was he denying being in love when all it did was hurt and confuse him? And why was Emily doing the same thing, supposedly? It was silly and childish, but all he could do was sleep on it for now. There would be no talking Emily or himself around tonight. Once he got his fill of the stars, he walked off to his own tent, laid down, and drifted to sleep.

The next morning, Mike was awoken by the sound of falling wood. He sat up in his tent, walked out, and saw that everybody else was awake and working. "What's up here?" he asked, walking over.

"We're building a raft to get across the river!" said Peter, excited. He picked up a log of wood that mad been chopped and in the process he hit and knocked over Micky.

"Wow Pete, great job!" complained Micky as he stumbled up. "Any harder and I may have gotten superpowers!"

"Really?" asked Peter with wonder.

"No, you knucklehead," said Micky, rubbing his head.

"Is this gonna be good enough?" asked Mike, picking up a vine they were using as a rope.

"Should be," said Raul. "I tested them and they are strong enough. The river doesn't seem to be acting up today."

"Mike, help me with this, would you?" asked Emily, handing him the other end of the vine she was holding. How could she act so normal around him after before? It didn't seem right.

"Sure Em," said Mike, taking the vine.

"Thank you," said Emily brightly as the two of them strung pieces of wood together. Emily's hair draped down over her face as she leaned forward, like a golden curtain. Mike remembered how soft that hair was and he had every urge in the world to reach out and touch it, but no. he had to stand his ground. Later he would tell her, after the river. He had made his mind up about that.

"Is this thing done?" asked Davy, rubbing his hands. "I think I'm getting blisters!"

"Almost Davy," said Raul. "Just some fine-tuning and we'll be able to put this in the water." The said fine-tunings were finished and a small sail was added, and the group, carrying the raft, headed off to the direction of the river. The closer they got, the huger it was, and Mike found he was right in the fact that it barely resembled a river at all. The water was clear and there was only a slight breeze, so if this raft held up, the passage should be safe.

"Alright," said Raul, placing the raft in the water. "Let us be on our way."

"And this'll hold all of us?" asked Mike as they all climbed onto the raft.

"Yes Mike, it will," said Raul. "Emily, do you need help?"

"Oh, I'm fine," said Emily, lifting up her skirt to try and board. "I'm just…"

"Scared?" came the words out of Mike's mouth without him even thinking about it. Oh well, it may as well be a hint anyway.

"Yes, that's it," said Emily.

"Here, I'll help," said Mike. He extended his hand. "Don't be afraid, you can trust me." He never thought he could be as cheesy as Davy, but Mike was finding out that anything was possible every day. Emily smiled nervously and took Mike's hand and he helped her onto the raft with everyone else. Those smooth hands…oh yes, they'd be his sometime very soon. "Ok, we all set?" Mike asked.

"Yessir!" said Micky, fake-saluting.

"Don't do that," said Mike.

"Too late," said Micky with a smirk.

"Okay, so cast-off?" asked Davy.

"Let's go," said Raul, kicking the raft off the shore, sending the group sailing across the water. "Remember to hold on."

"Will do, trust me," said Peter, looking sick already.

"Don't go out on us now Peter," said Mike, but with the way Peter was looking over the side of the raft, things didn't look so good.

"Just look at the horizon Peter," said Micky.

"I can't," moaned Peter.

"Let him be comfortable," said Emily, tracing her finger through the water.

"Emily, be careful, we don't want you falling in," said Mike.

"I'll be okay Mike," said Emily, staring into the water. "I'm not scared." Oh, so she did know what Mike ended up hinting at before. Well, at least he was getting through it her in some way.

"It's actually really nice out here," said Davy, laying back. "Calm, restful…a good day for a sail."

"You said it Davy," said Mike. "I feel better now. It is nice." But of course, after that, something disastrous had to happen. Mike had taken his hat off just to hold it and just when his grip slipped, a gust of wind came along and blew it right out of his hands and into the water.

"Oh no!" Emily yelped. "Hold this Mike, I'll get that for you!" She shoved the flute into Mike's hand and without further ado, leaped into the water with a huge splash.

"Emily!" Mike exclaimed. "Hold this." He gave Micky the flute and hung over the edge. "Emily, I'm coming!"

"Don't bother, I've got this!" said Emily, splashing on her way to Mike's hat. She grabbed it, but no sooner than she had done that, something dragged her under.

"The current," said Raul gravely. This girl had a knack for getting herself in trouble.

"Emily, no!" Mike shouted. Poising himself, he dove into the icy water and swam under to Emily. She managed to surface herself for a time, kicking and splashing.

"I—have your—hat!" she choked, flinging it onto Mike's head.

"Em, there's no time for that, the current's picking up, grab onto me before it drags us _both _down!" said Mike, tossing the hat onto the raft.

"Okay!" said Emily, but she was going down fast and swallowing water with every breath she took. She grabbed onto Mike and he tried to swim back to the raft, but the combination of Emily and the current was dragging Mike down as well. He kicked furiously, trying to keep his head above the water, but it was impossible to do while Emily was sinking further and further down. She was completely under again, and Mike dove down to grab her. She wasn't struggling anymore—her eyes were closed and she was sinking further down, limp as a rag doll. Mike grabbed her and took her up to the surface, but Emily's weight was too much for him to hold up while swimming against the current to the raft.

He held the unconscious Emily against him as he furiously fought the water, thinking to himself, _please Emily, please don't be dead..._Mike was losing strength; he felt himself going under himself, but he would not give up; Emily would not die because of him, not in a million years. He tried to summon one last burst of energy, but it was no use…he felt both of them start to sink when he heard a loud horn. He managed to peek his head above the water long enough to see it belonged to a large ship with two people at the helm, and it was coming right towards them. Were they saved?


	10. Chapter 10

"Lower the net Riley!" bellowed a male voice from the ship.

"Lowering sir!" came another spunky-sounding female voice. Mike was still feverishly trying to paddle him and Emily to the raft, and Peter, Davy, Micky, and Raul were working hard to get the raft over to the two. Suddenly, there was a splash, and Mike felt them all, including the raft, being lifted up out of the water.

"We've got you guys!" called the man aboard. "Don't be afraid, you're safe here!" The net reached the deck of the ship, and the gang was released like flopping fish straight from the ocean. The gang from the raft were relatively okay, but Mike was sputtering, coughing, and shivering while Emily still looked limp and lifeless.

"Who are you guys?" asked Davy, standing up.

"Just a couple of sailors looking for an adventure," said the girl. Mike was able to get a look at them and saw that there were indeed only two people, one a man in his twenties and the other a girl around eighteen. Both of them had red hair and green eyes. The man had a scruffy beard and was tall and well-built, and the girl was small and athletic-looking with her face spangled with freckles and a very mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"I'm Robbie, and this is my sister Riley," said the man, Robbie. "We noticed that you were in trouble down there. Tell me—what in God's name did you think you were doing out in that water? You could have gotten yourselves killed."

"Emily…" Mike muttered, stroking her hand. "My hat flew off into the water…and she just had to get it. Stupid girl…"

"And you just _had _to save her then?" asked Riley.

"What would you expect me to do?" asked Mike.

"Here Mike," said Micky, handing him the flute. "Is she gonna be alright?" he asked the siblings.

"We can take her to one of the bunks and watch her," said Robbie. He kneeled down over Emily and took her wrist. "Yep, she's still alive, but not by much. We can help her though."

"So who are you all, and where are you headed?" asked Riley.

"Well, I'm Mike," said Mike, trying to gain strength again as his role of leader. "That's Micky, Peter, Raul—"

"And I'm Davy," said Davy, slowly standing up and approaching Riley. "Hello, Riley."

"It's nice to meet you Davy," said Riley breathily, looking deep into his eyes.

"Ah geez, not again…" Micky moaned.

"Come on guys, you can do this later, we have no time right now!" said Mike.

"Right, sorry," said Davy, letting go of Riley's hand.

"Where are you all headed?" asked Robbie, keeping a watchful eye on Davy.

"The mountains," Raul spoke up.

"The mountains!" Riley shrieked in shock. "You mean _those _mountains?" She pointed off in the direction where the mountaintops soared above everything else. "What are you guys thinking? You'll be killed! First you swim in the river, and then you're going to _the mountains? _What are you going on, a suicide mission?"

"Quite the contrary," said Raul. "We are headed to the other side of the island to help this group."

"So far so good, right?" said Micky.

"Can we just please get Emily somewhere where we can help her?" said Mike urgently.

"Yeah, he's in love with her!" Peter said.

"Shut up Pete," said Mike

"Okay, let's bring her to a room," said Robbie. "Mike, I noticed you weren't doing too well, do you have the strength to walk?"

"I can manage," said Mike. He stood up shakily and attempted to pick Emily up, but she was too heavy for him at the moment.

"Here, let me," said Robbie, taking Emily from Mike. Mike felt a surge of jealousy, but realized that Robbie was there to help. If it weren't for him and Riley, who was currently in a staring-contest with Davy, complete with stars, him and Emily would probably be dead.

"I must stay up here," said Raul. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Robbie, hoisting Emily over his shoulder. "Just don't jump ship."

"Highly unlikely that I will," said Raul.

"Geez, what the hell's his problem?" asked Riley as the rest of them headed below decks. "Something up his ass or something?"

"Riley, please tell me you know who he is?" asked Robbie as they walked into a room. He laid Emily down on the bed gingerly and stepped back.

"Who?" asked Mike. "As far as we know, he's just Raul."

"Oh boy, you folks are in for a wild ride," said Robbie. "Yes, he is Raul…but…wow, how do I explain this? Have either of you ever read those _The Lord of the Rings _books?"

"I have," Peter piped up, shooting his hand up.

"You would," said Davy.

"You know the character Gollum?" asked Robbie.

"Oh crap…" said Peter, his eyes growing wide and looking nervous. "Guys, that's not good…"

"What does that mean?" asked Micky.

"He's out guide and he'll take us to where we need to go," said Peter, biting his lip. "But he's got some pretty bad motives…"

"Ah…" said Mike. "So…what do we do about that?"

"Stick by us," said Riley. "We'll go as far as you need us to go."

"We just need to get to the mountains," said Mike.

"Crossing the mountains with Raul is suicide," said Robbie.

"No it ain't," said Mike. "As long as we have Emily. It seems that Raul has done everything in his power to make sure she's safe…saving her from the sacrifice, the tiger, and everything. I wonder why?" Then it hit him—he looked down at Emily's enchanted flute that was still in his hand, and then he knew…Raul must want the flute for himself. "The flute…" he muttered.

"Like The One Ring!" Peter exclaimed. "And that means Emily is Frodo…what does that make us, Mike? Oh, oh, can I be Legolas?"

"Peter, stop that, will you?" asked Mike. "Now, we don't know if this is right or not. Right now we have to concentrate on getting passed this safely and making sure Emily can recover."

"Well, whatever we have to do now, I'm sure we can all say Davy's a hobbit!" Peter chortled. Davy gave him a dirty look and stomped on his foot.

"So what can we do for Emily?" asked Mike has Peter screamed silently in pain and hopped up and down on his un-stomped foot.

"Keep watching her, warm water so she doesn't catch a cold," said Riley. "That's about it, actually. But she's alive, and that's what matters."

"Who wants to be the first shift?" asked Robbie.

"I'll take it," said Mike without a second thought.

"You…uh…really care about this girl, don't you?" asked Robbie as he pulled up a chair for Mike to sit bedside. "Known her for long?"

"Not long," said Mike, sitting down. "Just…she's…special."

"Yeah, I'd say," said Micky.

"I can't wait to meet her when she wakes up then," said Riley. "Cause she will ya know, stake my life on it!"

"Good to know," said Mike, looking down at Emily. He wished she'd open those eyes of hers so he could see how beautiful they were once more. It was strange not having her awake to hear her comments from the peanut gallery off to the side. They infuriated Mike as much as they cheered him up.

"So…I think I'm gonna go on back to the deck Mike," said Micky. "Guys?"

"I'll go with you," said Peter.

"I've got some other things to do," said Davy, putting an arm around Riley.

"What things?" asked Robbie, approaching Davy. "Cause if you let go of my sister, I could help."

"Oh…uh…never mind sir, I think I can do it by myself," said Davy, snapping his arm away from Riley.

Robbie gave Davy a stern nod and walked away, but as soon as he was gone Davy slung his arm around Riley again and the two slinked off giggling to another room. "That's Davy for you," said Peter as he and Micky walked up to deck. Soon, Mike was alone with Emily in that quiet room.

"Say Em, I wonder what Robbie would do if he caught Davy and his sister together, huh?" Mike asked Emily, knowing very well that she wouldn't answer, but hoping there was some miracle that she would hear him. She didn't even stir. Mike sighed and sat the flute down next to her. He knew she always had it by her side; she would probably freak out if she woke up and it wasn't there.

"Y'know Emily," said Mike, his heart pounding. "I'm sorry I was so grumpy earlier…I guess it was that kiss. I know, stupid, right?" No. This was stupid. Talking to an unconscious person, he may as well be talking to a corpse! No! He couldn't think that either! Thinking of Emily as a corpse was worse than her being unconscious. He saw her breast rising and falling very slightly. Instead of it being highly erotic like it had been in the tent before, it was a sign of hope that she would pull through; it was also sad and pathetic. Mike reached down and took her hand. It was cold and still wet, but that could have been him as well. He stroked it with his thumb and it was odd not to feel her grip back.

"God Emily, you have to pull through," Mike whispered. Figures, on the day he was planning to tell all of his thoughts and feelings to her…this happens. Well, at least this could be good practice time for that moment. But not now; the most Mike could do now was sit in silence, staring down at the seemingly-sleeping face of Emily.

_On Deck:_

Raul had noticed that Peter and Micky had entered the deck, so he snuck off to the other side for his privacy. He needed to speak to Gary, keep him on top if things that were happening. Looking around to make sure that no one was around, he snapped his fingers like usual, and the figure of Gary stood in front of him. "Hello Raul," said Gary. "Have you crossed the river yet?"

"Not quite," said Raul. "We got picked up by a ship. Mike lost his hat in the water when we were on our raft and Emily dove after it. Mike managed to save her, but she is unconscious. Right now the ship is taking us to the mountains."

"Is Emily alive?" asked Gary. "And the flute, is that safe?"

"Yes," said Raul. "We are working on reviving your niece as we speak, and the flute is safe."

"You need not call that silly little girl a member of my family," said Gary. "She is not fit to the Rowe name."

"Sorry sir," said Raul. "Sometimes I forget that you are her father's brother."

"And I wish I could forget as well as you can," said Gary. "But I don't care who's family and who isn't—she will die as soon as I learn the power of the flute, no matter how long it takes."

"And her friends?" asked Raul.

"Did you ever think I would spare them?" asked Gary with a smile. "They will be disposed of as well."

"As I thought," said Raul. "Is Al proving helpful?"

"He won't talk yet," said Gary. "But I have no doubt that Emily will be proper leverage for him to start talking."

"I should think so," said Raul. "I must go now if I am to be sure that no one will wander around deck and see this."

"Very well," said Gary. "I shall be seeing you soon." Gary faded away, and Raul took that to go back over to the main deck as to avoid any suspicion. He had been rather good at avoiding that so far.

_Back below:_

Mike didn't want to leave Emily, he really didn't, but the more he looked at her, the worse he felt. He leaned down, kissed her softly on the forehead, and went up to the deck. It was sunset already and the sky was full of color. There he saw Raul doing that weird staring thing again, Micky and Peter hanging out and talking, and Robbie at the ship's wheel. He walked over to him and stood by him.

"Hey there man," said Mike.

"Hey," said Robbie, concentrating on the river. "Any luck with the girl?"

"No," said Mike. "Listen Robbie, we were all so worried about what was going to happen and everything, I really didn't stop to thank you or your sister about saving us. Emily and I would probably be dead if it weren't for you."

"Hey, don't mention it," said Robbie. "We understand. You all got a lucky break, us coming up on you."

"We sure did," said Mike. "But I just wanted to let you know that we a_re _grateful."

"Don't' sweat it," said Robbie. "You wouldn't have happened to see Riley anywhere, did you?"

"She's probably wherever Davy is," said Mike. "He's a freaking Casanova, there's no stopping him. Completely harmless though, I'll tell you that."

"That's good to know," said Robbie, looking a little put off. "Guess I can't hold onto her forever. I ain't our dad after all!"

"So where do you two come from?" asked Mike. "How'd ya end up here?"

"My family always liked to travel," said Robbie. "That's why I started sailing. On one of our trips, something went wrong and our parents died when their ropes broke on a mountain we were climbing. Riley and I decided to go off on our own after that, so we bought the ship with the money our parents left us in their will, and we came across the island. We've been here ever since."

"So…there's a way off?" asked Mike.

"Yeah," said Robbie. "We just haven't bothered to leave yet, that's all. Weren't you all looking for a way home?"

"Yep," said Mike.

"How in the hell did you all end up here anyway?" asked Robbie.

"Well, we're from Los Angeles, California," said Mike. "We were all walking down the road when some strange man approached Emily, gave her some music to play on her flute…her enchanted flute…and now we're here."

"That Emily's quite the trouble magnet, isn't she?" asked Robbie.

"You said it man," said Mike. "But I love her." Mike laughed. "Damn, I actually said it. What a breakthrough."

"I thought I saw something like that," said Robbie. "I mean, everyone seemed worried, but you were the one who jumped in to save her."

"It was kind of my fault too," said Mike. "It was my hat that flew into the water…she just felt like she had to bring it back to me."

"Well, that was very noble of you to go in there," said Robbie. "The river can be dangerous. Not nearly as much as the mountains though, you gotta be nuts to go there."

Mike laughed. "We're all a bunch of nuts here," he said. "So we should be fine."

"Let Riley and me come with you," said Robbie. "When you get to the mountains."

"But what about your ship?" asked Mike.

"We'll go back for it," said Robbie. "But please."

"Are you sure?" asked Mike. "I mean, your parents died on a mountain…not to pry or anything. You can come if you really want."

"That would mean a lot," said Robbie. "It's mostly Raul I'm worried about…you seem like a smart group, but I don't wanna chance it. I've heard a lot about that guy."

"Thanks for the concern," said Mike. "Hey, Micky, Peter!"

The two turned around. "What's up Mike?" asked Peter.

"We have some new members in our little Fellowship of the Flute here," said Mike.

Peter beamed at another _The Lord of the Rings _reference. "Oh, really?" he said. "That's fantastic!"

"Sure is," said Mike.

"Say, Mike, would you mind if I went down and saw Emily?" asked Peter.

"Go ahead, knock yourself out shotgun," said Mike. Peter rushed down below to Emily's room. Mike broke off from Robbie and Micky and went to the side of the ship to look out. The sun was still setting and it was beautiful. He always connected the setting sun with a sense of melancholy. The pinks, oranges, and purples blended like some of Peter's tie-dye shirts in the sky so nicely. He only wished he had Emily there to watch it with. He was sure that she would have some pretty oddball things to say about it. He wasn't sure what, but he just knew. That was the great thing about Emily—you never knew.

Across the deck, he noticed Davy and Riley sneaking to another place where Robbie wouldn't see. Micky walked up next to Mike when he looked back out to the water again. "Moving along okay?" asked Micky.

"As much as I can," said Mike.

"It wasn't your fault you know," said Micky. "Just want you to know that."

"Thanks man," said Mike.

"Keep it together," said Micky. "If those two say she'll get better, she will. I think we really can trust them."

"You're right Mick," said Mike. Robbie and Riley seemed like two of the most trustworthy people he had ever met. Part of that made him hope that whatever they were saying about Raul was true. If it was, he was sure that having the siblings in the mountains with him would be crucial. But where was Raul leading them if not to safety? For now, Mike chose not to think about it. The only thing on his mind was Emily below the decks.


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey Robbie," said Micky, walking up to Robbie with Peter and Raul. Mike was below decks with Emily, who had shown no signs of waking up yet, and Davy was hid away with Riley somewhere doing who-knew-what. "Any sign of land yet?"

"No, the mountains a couple days away from here," said Robbie. He squinted out into the distance. "Looks like there's a storm coming. Anyone seen Riley?"

"Coming!" called Riley, walking up to the rest of them fixing her hair and straightening her shirt. Davy came up behind her looking quite satisfied. "What's up Rob?"

"A storm might be coming, make sure everything's secure, will ya?" asked Robbie. "Davy, you stay right here; she can manage."

"Yessir," said a rather intimidated Davy as Riley ran all around deck getting things secure so they wouldn't blow off during a storm if one came along.

"Is Mike still down with Emily?" asked Robbie.

"Yeah," said Peter. "He's very worried about her."

"I could see that," said Robbie.

"Does one of them still have the flute?" asked Raul, trying to sound as casual as possible. He hadn't mentioned the flute in that sort of way, or at all, while they were on the ship, but he didn't want to seem suspicious in asking about it.

"Mike has made sure the flute hasn't left Emily's side," said Robbie. He squinted suspiciously. "Why are you worrying about that flute so much?"

"Because it's a very prized possession of Emily's," said Raul. "She would be very distraught to have lost it."

"I see," said Robbie. Mike had told him all about Emily's flute; the enchanted flute that had been passed down her family for generations. Robbie knew that the flute was probably playing a very big part in Raul trying to "help" them. Obviously something of that power was a big draw for someone as slimy as Raul.

"How do we know if there's gonna be a storm?" asked Peter, going back to the original subject.

"Well," said Robbie. "The wind's starting to pick up."

"And not to mention all of the dark clouds out there," said Riley, approaching. "All secure, Captain."

"Thanks Riley," said Robbie, smiling at his sister's silly comment. "Alright everyone, at the first sign of rain, we all go under; except for me that is, I still gotta steer."

"He's good with this," said Riley to the others, who looked nervous. "Does it all the time, and he's never died once!"  
"Well, that sure is good to know, isn't it?" asked Micky. "After all, we'd be getting nowhere with a dead captain!"

"You said it Micky," said Peter. "Hey…where'd Davy go?" They all turned to see Davy and Riley kissing in the corner.

Robbie sighed. "I can see that there's no getting rid of that one," he said, meaning Davy.

"Not a chance," said Peter. Below decks, laughter did not ring as loudly. Mike was still sitting bedside Emily, stoking her hair softly and watching her face for some sign of life. Her breast still rose and fall; Mike thanked whatever higher power there may be for her breathing. It was very quiet; Mike had given up trying to speak to Emily, because it made him feel like a crazy person and he knew she couldn't hear him anyway.

But of course, and idea just _had _to pop up in his head. It was weird, yes, but what would he lose? He'd read fairy tales before, and that got him thinking…God, it was everywhere in them! _Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, _and more! It was a fat chance, and incredibly cheesy, but was it worth a shot? All he had to do was lean down…it wasn't that hard. It didn't even have to be long and passionate! But…she was unconscious, and this wasn't a fairy tale. Dammit, it seemed downright creepy when Mike thought about it!

Nevertheless, he fixed his eyes on Emily's lips, soft, inviting, and waiting. Who knew? With all of the crazy crap that had happened to them so far, it could be worth a shot. Taking a deep breath and cursing himself for allowing himself to act like a silly, lovestruck fool like Davy, he slowly leaned down, hoping that Emily wouldn't wake up in the middle of it. He finally reached her lips, which received a soft, feathery touch from his. He kissed her for a _very _short time, and then shot back up again, his heart pounding, to wait and see if his stupid idea had worked.

Well, she didn't move at all.

Damn…Mike sighed at having to do that extremely creepy and dumb thing for nothing. He guessed he'd just have to wait like everyone else had been.

"Hey, Mike!" called Davy from above up on the deck. Mike sighed again and walked away from Emily so he could see Davy properly.

"Yeah Davy?" he called back up.

"Just wanna warn you that Robbie and Riley say there's a storm coming, so just keep ready," said Davy.

"Gotcha, shotgun," said Mike. But wait a minute…what would happen to Emily if there was a rough storm and she was still unconscious? Mike had to figure out something, and quick.

_Back on deck:_

"Man, it really looks like we're headed into something crappy," said Micky, who was keeping lookout. "Say, Robbie, what do we do once we get into this?"

"He told you," said Riley. "We all head for cover and Robbie keeps at the wheel. Rule number one of being on a ship—a_lways _listen to Captains' orders!"

"Yeah, rule number two," said a thoroughly annoyed Micky. "Women are bad luck on ships…"

"Hey, I heard that," said Riley. "Nothing bad has ever happened to us while at sea or anything, and don't forget that it was _both _of us who saved your asses!"

"Yeah Micky, that wasn't very nice of you," said Peter.

"Sorry," said Micky. "I'm just a little on edge with these clouds up ahead." The clouds did look very evil; they were thick and nearly black. The wind was growing colder and had been picking up ever so slightly over the past few hours. They didn't feel any rain yet, but Micky knew it was only a matter of time.

"Don't worry about it Micky, Robbie makes fun of that silly superstition all the time to me," said Riley.

"Don't pin me on that little sister," said Robbie, his eyes still firmly on the horizon.

"Hey guys," said Davy, coming back from his talk with Mike.

"Hey Davy," said Peter. "How's Mike?"

"Worried about him, mate," said Davy. "Still really bugged over Emily."

"Did you warn him about the storm?" asked Raul. "He needs to have all of his senses up if it will approach, and I'm afraid he's too distracted with the girl."

"Well what do you expect from him now?" asked Davy. "He's a fool in love." He turned to Riley. "Right love?"

Riley gave a girlish giggle behind her hand, but Robbie raised an eyebrow sternly at Davy, who bit his lip and turned around, but stole one last look from Riley anyway.

"But trust me, once Emily wakes up, Mike will be back on his feet and bossing us everywhere as usual," said Micky. "In a good way though—I tell ya, the three of us would be lost without him."

"Let's hope that he gets better then," said Robbie. Back below however, things weren't looking very well. Emily's state had not changed, and he was desperately thinking of something he could do. He felt wind come down from the opening to the deck, and it was getting stronger. He could hear the water getting blown already, and he wondered how far into the storm they were headed. He couldn't tell from down under, and he didn't want to go up to deck. To leave Emily's side now was painful. He wondered if he should check on the others…no, it was okay, they had Robbie and Riley up there to help, they would be fine. He hoped.

Back on deck, Peter felt the first raindrop. "Oh hell…" he moaned.

"It's okay Peter, it was only one so far," said Robbie, keeping a firmer hand on the wheel.

"Yeah, so far," said Peter. More cold drops of rain started to fall. "What do we do, what do we do?" Peter asked frantically.

"It's just a bit of rain Peter," said Riley. "Relax!"

"But it's…cold…" Peter whined.

"Pete, when did you become such a wimp?" asked Micky.

"I think he was born that way Micky," said Davy. "Hey, should we get Mike?"

"No, he's below," said Robbie, now having a more difficult time steering. "He'll be safe there, but when this picks up, you all run down there."

"Right," said Davy. The wind had started to pick up at that point, but no one went down yet.

"Micky, Peter, secure the ropes, will ya?" ordered Robbie. Micky and Peter dashed off to hold the ropes of the mast so that the sail would not collapse. "Davy and Riley, I'm trusting you to go off under decks together to be safe, you got that?"

"Got it!" said Davy, grabbing Riley's hand. "Come on, let's go!" The wind was picking up, and the rain, which was falling harder, began to blow sideways. Thunder boomed loudly and lightning flashed. The beautiful sunset that had been just a few hours ago was replaced by nasty clouds that were even darker than the sky had gotten. The stars and moon were blocked out; the only thing was black. Robbie was having an even harder time steering, and Micky and Peter were nearly getting blown away by the gusts of wind.

Below, Davy and Riley ran and stopped in front of the room where Mike was staying with Emily. "Mike, that storm's picking up!" called Davy over the wind that was audible even below.

"Get safe!" Riley said.

"I've got it!" said Mike.

"Don't go up," said Riley. "Micky and Peter should be down soon, but don't be a hero!"

"Yeah, try telling him that, won't work," said Davy.

"It will this time," said Mike. "I _have _to wake Emily up!"

"Don't do anything reckless," said Davy as he and Riley left the doorway.

Mike looked back at Emily for the millionth time, and there was a flash of lightning followed by a loud crash of thunder. The flash from the lightning reflected and there was a bright gleam from next to Emily. Mike looked and saw it. The flute. Why didn't he think of it before? He had made something happen with it before, why couldn't he do it again? This was on such a larger scale though…could he possibly wake Emily up with the flute? Maybe, just _maybe_, if he woke her up, she would be able to stop the storm with the flute! It was a stretch though…the ship began to rock back and forth violently just then, and Mike knew that if he wanted to try out his idea for reality he'd have to get on it…but how?

On deck, things were a little more hectic. Robbie, Raul, Micky, and Peter were drenched with rain and not all too happy at all. "Brace yourselves guys!" Robbie called. "You two are gonna be out here a little longer than anticipated!"

"Oh, that's great, what other good news do you have?" shouted Micky. "Did your dog die too? Wow, fantastic!"

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Peter said.

"Well if you are, please go with the wind and not against it!" said Micky. "Cause I ain't gonna wanna be covered in—"

"Is that a wave?" said Raul.

"No, it's a flying unicorn!" said Micky. "Of course it's a—oh boy…"

"Hold on everyone!" Robbie shouted, sounding excited, and he whipped the when around. "Woo hoo!" The huge wave Raul had pointed out soared above the deck and crashed, drenching everyone, but thankfully not sweeping anybody away.

"Why this, why now?" Peter complained. "I hate the rain!"

"We all do kid," said Robbie. The water from the wave had reached below, and some had swept into Mike and Emily's room. Mike was still trying to figure out what to play when it came, drenching the two of them. Mike coughed and sputtered, but he realized that he wasn't the only one who was. After he got all the water out of his eyes, he saw that Emily, soaked, was sitting up, eyes open, and coughing water.

"Emily!" Mike exclaimed, dropping the flute on the bed and embracing her. "You're all right!"

"I think I am," said Emily. "What's going on?"

"You almost drowned in the river," said Mike. "We got picked up by a ship, and now it's storming. Do you…do you think you can help?"

"I know what you're after," said Emily with a smirk. She grabbed the flute, blew some water out of it, and stood up. "Am I right?"

"Right as ever," said Mike. "Now let's go!" The two came out of the room and on their way passed Davy and Riley.

"Emily, you're alive!" Davy cheered, leaping forward to hug her. "Don't worry Riley, you're still it for me right now."

"Where are you guys headed?" asked Riley.

"To the deck," said Emily.

"It's dangerous up there!" said Riley. "Are you nuts?"

"Yep!" said Emily cheerfully as she and Mike, followed by a very nervous Riley and Davy, climbed up to the deck. Raul was now helping Robbie steer the ship, and Micky and Peter were still stabilizing the mast. "Hey guys, I'm better!" Emily said.

"What are you doing up here then?" asked Micky. "Do you like getting hurt of something?"

"I'm here to show you how to stop a storm," said Emily. The wind whipping her hair and skirt around, she faced the storm with focused eyes and began to play the flute. It wasn't her usual flowing melody; it sounded agitated and stern, as if telling the storm what-for. The noted were high, short, and staccato, and Emily's eyes never broke contact with the dark, black clouds. Her flingers flew as if the wind were blowing them and the thunder boomed like a timpani accompanying her. She didn't even stop to catch a breath. After a while, little by little, the clouds parted and grew lighter. The rain, which had been torrential, had turned to a light sprinkle, and the wind had all but stopped. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light—the sun had broken through the remaining clouds with mighty majesty. With her final notes, the storm, which had been the worst any of them had ever seen, had ceased to be.

"Well…that takes care of it," said Emily. "I feel woozy…I need to sit."

Mike, worrying that Emily would soon pass out again, took her and sat her down on the side of the boat. "Emily…that was…that was…"

"Amazing!" Riley shouted. "You saved us all, thank you!"

"I could say it was all in a days' work," said Emily. "But I'd be stretching the truth something awful."

"Just rest Em," said Mike. "You need your strength again."

"You don't need to tell me twice," said Emily. She looked up at Robbie and Riley. "Oh, you two must be the people who saved us. Mike was able to tell me about you two. Thank you!"

"Don't mention it lady," said Robbie with a glint in his eye. He turned to Micky and Peter. "Oh, and boys, thank you so much for all of your help—I owe you two!"

"You sure do," said Micky, his usually very curly hair pressed flat against his head and covering his eyes from the rain. "Peter and I will talk…it will probably be your soul."

"I don't think I could feel another drop of water for years," said Peter.

"Well get used to it," said Riley. "We're in a river!"

"So…the water woke me up, did it?" asked Emily to Mike.

"Yeah," said Mike. "Funny…water nearly killed you, but then it brought you back."

"Yes, it is funny," said Emily. "Were you…the only one who watched me?"

"What, me?" asked Mike. "Nah, the others wanted to make sure you were okay too." But he was the one who was by her side the most.

"Okay," said Emily cheerily. "But…it would have been okay if you were." That comment cheered Mike up more than he could have ever been cheered up by anything.


	12. Chapter 12

It had soon occurred to everyone on the ship that the storm had lasted all night long. When the sun came out of the clouds after all of that darkness, it just seemed like a normal thing, but then everyone remembered that it had been night when the rain started. Because of that, the whole gang, including Robbie and Riley at the wheel, was sluggish and exhausted, except for Emily, who upon waking up and getting over her tiredness from her magic had a newfound energy and was practically bouncing off the walls, and Raul, who was lost in thought.

How was Emily, little "I can only make things float" Emily, could stop a storm like that in just a minute or two? It just didn't add up. Was she feigning inexperience at it for fear of being challenged? Or was it really by chance? Either way, Raul knew something was wrong ever since Mike was able to use the flute as well. He would have to report to Gary about this soon, if he didn't already know himself.

Back below decks, everyone else was in their respective bunks catching up on some much needed rest. Mike was awake and pacing the halls, wanting so bad to go into Emily's room and talk to her after how long she's been out cold. He still wanted to tell her…things…but he figured now would not be the time for things such as that; she had just woken up after all. Finally getting up the guts and glory to just do it, Mike opened the door to Emily's room and walked in. To his surprise, instead of the full-of-energy Emily that was earlier, he found her lounging in her bed, playing lazily on the flute, causing the small flame on her bedside candle to flicker and dance accordingly. "Oh, hello Mike," she said when she saw him, putting the flute down. "Come in!"

"Hey there Emily," said Mike, walking in and shutting the door. Why in the hell was he shutting the door? It was like he was hoping for something to happen. "You feeling alright? You were bouncing off the walls earlier."

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Emily. "I just kinda tuckered myself out. Don't be shy, come on over here!"

"Alright then," said Mike, walking farther in. Emily patted a spot on the bed and Mike went over and sat down. It really couldn't be worse than him setting bedside her before…just a few inches closer…that was all!

"No silly, I mean come on under with me!" said Emily, putting her flute on the bedside table. "It's cold, don't you think?"

"Uh…yeah, sure…cold," said Mike, nervous, but of course not knowing why. Wasn't this every man's dream? Mike fidgeted around a bit until he was under the bedsheets with Emily. It was actually a large amount warmer and more comfortable than it was before. For such a skinny girl, Emily produced the right amount of body heat.

"There ya go," said Emily, snuggling into Mike's chest. "Now, isn't that better?"

"M—much," said Mike, feeling an electric shock as he felt Emily's touch. This girl had better stop toying with him soon—he wouldn't be able to take it much longer.

"So Mike, is there something you want to tell me from when I was unconscious?" asked Emily. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I missed a lot of things."

"Well, I already told you about Robbie and Riley finding us," said Mike. "Then that storm hit, and the water woke you up…that's about it that you missed, really." But there was a little more…should he tell her about Robbie's warning about Raul? Mike could certainly see where one could get that assumption…maybe it was the best thing to tell her just in case. "Oh, and one more thing you should know," Mike started up again.

"What's that?" asked Emily.

"There's a huge possibility that Raul's a bad guy," said Mike.

Emily laughed. "Mike, are you joking?" she asked. "He's bringing us to safety, how could he possibly be bad?"

"Just hear me out Em, okay?" asked Mike. "Robbie has his suspicions. Apparently he's heard of him before and is warning us about what he's done. I have to say I kind of believe Robbie too—Raul does have a lot of leverage to want to hurt us."

"Like what?" asked Emily.

"That flute of yours, that's what," said Mike.

"But he hasn't done anything to us yet," said Emily. "What makes you think he's ever gonna do anything?"

"He could have a plan," said Mike. "Come on Emily, that Raul's a smart guy; I wouldn't be surprised if he had a little something up his sleeve."

"I guess I have no choice but to listen to you again," said Emily. "You're always right anyhow…"

"So, you actually admit that now?" asked Mike.

"Yes, I do, and I'm sure you're happy," said Emily. She plucked Mike's hat off his head and flung it to the other side of the room.

"May I ask what in the hell that was all about?" asked Mike.

"Just proving to you that I won't run and get it this time," said Emily. "I'm really sorry about that…I risked your life in that as well as my own. It was really stupid of me, and it made me realize I need to curb my own impulses."

"Impulses like throwing my hat across the room?" asked Mike.

"Well…I still have some work to do," said Emily. She ran her fingers through Mike's thick hair, his head now sans-hat. "You have really nice hair."

"Uh, thanks, yeah, so do you," said Mike growing very nervous at Emily's touch. This girl was so forward and impulsive, she was driving him crazy. All he wanted to do was to show her what a man he really was and that his hair wasn't the only thing he had that was "nice." But for some reason he was paralyzed by her touch. Turned on, yes, but paralyzed.

"Y'know, it's been a while since I've laid with someone like this," said Emily, still lazily stroking Mike's hair. "It's a lot nicer than I remembered."

"I'm glad," was all Mike could say. What else could he say to that?

"Is it nice for you?" asked Emily, craning her neck to look at him.

"Oh, yeah, very," said Mike. Emily cuddled more into him and he could feel the swell of her breasts pushing up against him. She smelled so sweet and her hair that was spread across the bed was so soft…Mike felt he was trembling and fidgeting, trying so very hard to position himself so that she wouldn't notice his _own _swell that was growing ever so steadily in his jeans. Being a man was terrible at times.

"Mike, are you all right?" asked Emily, propping herself on her elbows. "You're acting a little off."

"Off? Me?" asked Mike, cowering under Emily's direct blue gaze. "Nah, I'm perfect."

"Okay," said Emily simply, and wrapped herself around Mike again. Was she _trying_ to fuck his mind? Cause his mind wasn't the thing that needed fucking. Yes, he loved her for her, her crazy, insane, sweet self, but there was also that primal, male instinct of a guy around his age that told him—"Do it." He had shown plenty of restraint before…something had to happen. And soon.

Emily had gotten comfortable again; her face so close to Mike's that he could feel her eyelashes tickling his cheek. Mike turned and looked right at her, right into her eyes. He could tell she knew what was coming, and that was perfectly all right with him. He reached out his hand and cupped her cheek. It was then that he realized that this wasn't just some chick that he wanted to violate like there was no tomorrow—this was the woman he loved, deeply.

"Mike?" Emily asked, but Mike didn't answer. He leaned over and kissed her passionately, not starting soft and taking his time like before. This kiss was raw and full of emotion and passion, and to his relief, Emily didn't recoil, but returned the kiss with as much intensity. It was hard to tell whose limbs belonged to who at that point. Mike had never been involved in a fit of passion this deep before. The bedsheets were rendered useless after a couple minutes of feverish kissing, and so were various articles of clothing. At last Mike could look upon Emily's body without having to feel bashful; she was beautiful, and although he didn't tell her with words, she knew all from the look in his eyes as he made sure to leave no part of her unloved.

Kisses from both fell everywhere, inciting the most wanton of pleasures. Then, more than just kisses, and that was just pure bliss. Mike had had his share of women in the past, but there was none compared to Emily. She was wild, a free spirit, and that showed every second of their being together. Emily had never felt this way before either; she knew how bad she wanted him back in the tent, and now she knew why…both of their heads swam and spun with excitement, joy, and pleasure, and when the moment finally came, an electric shock filled every inch of Mike's body, sending the surge into Emily, who writhed under him like a serpent. That one burst of energy, and it was all done…the two were heaving for breath as Mike fell off from Emily, both of them covered in a thin film of sweat.

"Emily," said Mike. "I—"

And then there was a knock on the door and a call of , "Mike!" from Peter.

"Well, at least he waited till a_fter_ this time," said Mike. "I'll be back soon Em." He got up, searched for his clothes which were tossed every-which-way and got dressed once he found them.

"Is everything okay?" asked Emily, still very winded.

"Should be," said Mike. Peter banged on the door again. "God Peter, I'm coming!"

"I would join you, but I'm afraid I'm rather wiped out," said Emily.

Mike chuckled, pleased with himself. "Well, you just stay here and I'll be back before you know it," he said. As he walked out, he stole another look at Emily. Sure, Peter didn't interrupt anything intimate that time, but of course he had to come along just when he was ready to pour his heart and soul out to her. Mike was sure he'd have another chance, but when? He couldn't blame Peter, but someone had to keep him from being as prone to screw-ups as he was. He closed the door behind him and walked out to see Peter standing in the hall. "What's up Pete?" Mike asked.

"Nothing much, just wondered where you were," said Peter. "Come on, everyone's on deck, where's Emily?"

"Resting," said Mike, not wanting to go further into it. Knowing Peter, he probably wouldn't get it anyway. Emily…what a woman.

"Okay," said Peter. "Let's go, we haven't seen you in ages."

"All right, all right, I'm coming up," said Mike. He followed Peter up to deck where everyone else was waiting.

_Back in Emily's room:_

Emily lay there in her bed, not bothering to get dressed; she was snuggled up in the sheets anyway; it was nice like that. She was left very warm from Mike…hm…Mike…what had gotten into him? Not that she minded, of course, that was the best she had felt in ages, but still? She wondered if it had anything to do with that kiss.

To be perfectly honest, she wasn't very sure how she felt…sometimes she wanted to give in and love Mike, but every time she tried something else stupid happened and it distracted her from everything. Of course, she had no idea what Mike felt about her. What had just happened a few minutes ago didn't necessarily have anything to do with love, but was that Mike's style, to sleep with someone he didn't love? She supposed she'd find out soon enough.

Of course the one thing she knew she was scared about was getting her heart broken again. What if she indeed fell for Mike only to find out that he didn't have feelings for her in the first place? She already liked Mike well enough and had tried so hard to finally get all the way on his good side…if she made him hate her again while she was in love with him, it would ruin her.

But what was really bugging her was that she had never worried over somebody as much as she was worrying over Mike now. Could she have been right back at the pond? Were Mike and Emily the ones for each other? With the way Mike had kissed her, then and earlier that day, she couldn't rule "yes" out. Emily reached out for her flute on the bedside table and started to tinker on it again, playing with the candle flame. Worrying was for children, after all.

_Back on deck:_

Davy and Micky approached Mike and Peter as they got to the deck. Robbie was steering the wheel carelessly and Riley was at his side, watching out. Raul, as usual, was standing off to the side, with no leading job to do as of then. Mike was keeping a suspicious eye on him when Davy spoke up.

"So Mike, you were with Emily that whole time?" he asked. "Tell me, how was it?"

"How was what?" asked Mike.

"I think what Davy is trying to say, is how was _she _?" said Micky.

"Emily's fine," said Mike, trying to avoid the subject he knew for sure the guys were trying to get on. "She's awake now, everything's okay."

"I'm glad to know you're still worried about her though," said Peter. Oh Peter, clueless Peter…

"No Mike," said Davy. "I mean I think I know a guy who just got laid better than anything. Just look at you!"

"Davy's right," said Micky. "There's just something about you there…well, congratulations stud!"

"Will you two cool it?" said Mike. "What happened in there is between me and her!"

"You mean…you _did?" _asked Peter, wide-eyed and gasping.

Mike rolled his eyes. "Well, if I have to spell it out for you Pete, then yes, yes I did," said Mike.

"So, are you two together now?" asked Micky.

"Not exactly," said Mike, staring at the ground.

"You know Mike, you seem to be getting just as impulsive as Emily sometimes," said Davy.

"Oh yeah, and how?" asked Mike, not believing this.

"First you jumped in like a nut to save her from the virgin sacrifice," said Davy.

"And _then _you jump in the river to save her," said Micky.

"Cause I had to!" said Mike, cutting in.

"And then you go and sleep with her without finding out how she feels," said Peter, surprising everybody. They all forgot that Peter had little burst of genius every once in a while. "If you ask me, that's just asking for trouble no matter who you are."

"Listen guys, just leave it be," said Mike. "There are also other things on my mind, okay? I may not like what Emily's feelings may be, but they won't kill me." Okay, maybe they would somehow, but that wasn't the point at all. "What may kiss us is Raul if Robbie's right about him."

"Oh, way to change the subject Mike," said Micky.

"No Mick, I'm serious," said Mike. "I told Emily about it earlier—"

"Before you did her," chortled Peter.

"And I really want to find out if it's really that," said Mike, ignoring Peter. "Ya'll understand?"

"I guess we have no choice," said Davy. "But how do you propose you find out? I believe Robbie as much as the next person, but I haven't seen Raul do anything suspicious all this time."

"Maybe he's hiding it," said Mike. "I have an idea—why doesn't each of us keep an eye on Raul every time he goes off by himself? He does that an awful lot, and I think he may be up to something wherever he goes when he does that."

"What could he possibly be doing?" asked Micky.

"That's what we have to find out," said Mike. The group shut up when they saw Raul walking over to them. "Oh, hey Raul," said Mike. "How's it going?"

"Quite well," said Raul. "I was just having a conversation with Robbie and Riley about the course."

"What of it?" asked Peter.

"Tomorrow we will arrive at the mountains as scheduled," said Raul. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be off. Urgent business."

"Right, you go do that," said Micky with a hint of suspicion. Raul walked off, and as soon as he was far enough away, the group scrambled to where he was going.

"Come on, hide behind the wall," Mike hissed as they followed Raul to the other side of the deck. Raul stood at the very edge of the stern as the group hid behind the wall to below decks and listened and watched.

Raul snapped his fingers and a figure appeared. It wasn't a real person, but some sort of ghostly apparition, a replica of someone who was real somewhere. Mike instantly recognized the figure as none other than the man who was on the streets who had shoved that terrible music into Emily's face right before they were sent off to the island.

"It _can't _be," whispered Davy, recognizing him too. "That man."

"It is," said Mike. "I knew that he was trouble, just knew it."

"Ya think they're in cahoots?" asked Micky.

"Sure as hell looks like it," said Peter. "Mike, what does this mean?"

"It means that Emily's in trouble," said Mike. "And we have to be the ones to help her."

"What do you reckon they're talking about?" asked Davy.

"Only one way to find out," said Mike. He left the group and walked forward to hear better.

"Ya know Davy, I think you hit the impulsive thing right on the nose," said Micky. The others knew there was no stopping Mike at this point—if he wanted to find out the deal between Raul and the figure he was talking to, the man on the street, then he was going to, no matter what the cost.


	13. Chapter 13

"_What _was she able to do?" Mike heard the figure in front of Raul ask in a rage after Raul had told him of how she cleared the storm with her flute. "That's impossible, I _demand _to know how!"

"I do not know how Gary," said Raul. "All I know is that once she woke up, she raced to deck and started to play." Gary…so that was that creep's name. Mike was closer to the evil, plotting pair than Peter, Micky, and Davy, so he could hear. But he didn't understand. At least not yet. Slowly he crept forward slightly as to not be noticed by them.

"Well Raul, you have to figure it out," said Gary, growing impatient. "I have yet to extract any information from Al. If he doesn't cough up once Emily gets here, then he will be more ancient history than he already is." What? They had Al too? Al from the music store; the Al Mike had known since he came to Los Angeles? This was getting stranger by the second. And what did he mean by "more ancient history than he already is"?

"I will try my hardest," said Raul.

"Please do," said Gary. "Where are you now?"

"A day's sail away from the mountains," said Raul. "With a weeks' hike through then we will arrive at your house."

"Very good," said Gary. "I want no more mishaps on the way here. Make sure the girl is unharmed; I don't care what happens to the others."

"Yes sir," said Raul. "But I do want you to keep in mind that we may be dealing with more here than we originally thought. I have never seen anything in my life like the clearing of the storm."

"Be sure to avoid her doing anything like that until you bring her to me," said Gary. He faded away, leaving Raul standing alone. Mike darted away to the others as fast as he could before Raul could turn around and see him.

"What was he saying?" asked Micky.

"I found out some freaky stuff," said Mike. "Come on, we have to get somewhere safe."

"Where could we go?" asked Davy.

"Emily's room," said Mike. "It's safe there, and this is stuff she needs to know too."

"More like you wanna see her again," said Peter.

"Come on Pete, this is serious!" said Mike. "Granted it _is _nice seeing her, but that's not the point. We gotta let her know what's going on."

"What's happening then?" asked Peter as the group rushed below decks.

"I'll let you knew when we get to Emily," said Mike. He led them below the decks and to the door to Emily's room. Mike was just about to open the door when Micky stopped him.

"Doncha think you should knock first?" he asked.

"Oh, right," said Mike. Yeah, that was probably a good idea. Emily w_as _Emily after all. Unpredictable. Oh boy…Emily…he wondered what was on her mind. He had tried to keep her and what they had done off his mind with this new plot twist taking over, but it was hard. Taking a deep breath, he knocked, and a split second later Emily answered, to his surprise, fully dressed.

"Hello boys," she said. "Is something the matter?"

"Hey Em," said Mike. "Listen…you remember when I said that Raul may be a bad guy?"

"He isn't, is he?" asked Emily.

"Let us come in," said Mike. The four walked into Emily's room and sat on chairs and the floor. "Emily, Raul's bad news."

"Has he done anything?" asked Emily.

"Not yet, but he's fixing to," said Mike.

"Mike go ahead and tell, we still don't know anything yet," whined Peter, fidgeting with nerves.

"It's the flute," said Mike. "He's working for some guy who's after it, and he's leading us to him."

"Who would possibly be after the flute?" asked Emily.

"The guy on the street from before, the one who asked you to play," said Mike.

"Well, this definitely is an interesting turn of events," said Emily.

"Darling, I'd say it's a bit more than 'interesting'," said Micky.

"And there's more too," said Mike.

"How could there possibly be more to this?" asked Davy.

"You all remember Al from the music store by the pad, right?" asked Mike. Everyone nodded. Emily remembered him; he was so nice to her, like he knew her or something, but he may have been like that to all of his customers. "Well, this guy—Gary, I think his name is—has him prisoner!"

"What?" burst out Micky. "Why in the world would he want him?"

"Something about him knowing secrets," said Mike. "Beats me; just cause he owns a music store doesn't mean he has to know anything about that flute."

"Maybe he's made a mistake?" asked Davy.

"Al couldn't know anything, it's impossible," said Emily. "No one now but my family knows anything about it, and Al's not family, and he can't have been around when it was made, this flute is over one hundred years old."

"This is getting more and more curious by the second," said Peter.

"How do you know about the guy from the street?" asked Emily. "Was he there?"

"Get this love," said Davy, his eyes growing wide with anticipation. Raul just snaps his fingers…like a normal person, and then all of the sudden, the guy he's talking to just appears in front of him, like a ghost or something! It was bloody scary it was!"

"I would say that's nuts, but after everything we've seen here…no, not so much," said Emily. "What can we do about it?"

"I dunno, that's a work in progress," said Mike. "I guess for now we continue to wherever he's bringing us. We'll have Robbie and Riley with us after all, and I trust them."

"Okay…we outnumber him good to bad," said Emily.

"Yeah, whatever you did with your flute to stop the storm really freaked Raul out," said Mike.

"I'll tell you something, scared me too," said Emily. "I don't know how I was able to do that."

"You sure did us all a favor," said Davy.

"Excuse me, he did _who _the favor?" asked Micky. "You forget, Pete and I were stuck out there!"

"But seriously, how did you do that?" asked Mike. "I've never seen you do anything close to that before."

"I guess I just wanted it to happen," said Emily. "That's all I can say to that."

"Boys, come on up!" Robbie called down to them from above. "I need your help with some stuff!"

"Coming!" Davy called. "Well, let's go…you can come if you want Emily, I guess."

"I will," said Emily. "It's been a while since I've seen anything other than this room." The others left, but by some stupid turn of events, Mike and Emily hung behind. "So…" said Emily hesitantly. "What do you suppose he needs help with?"

"Beats me," said Mike. Both of them stood by the doorway, waiting for the other. "How are you?" Mike asked finally, dying to say something anyway.

"Just fine…you?" asked Emily.

"Not too bad," said Mike. They looked at each other, just dying to say something else to the other, but not knowing what. Well, Mike knew exactly what he wanted to say, but Peter had succeeded in killing the one perfect moment of the day when he would have said it anyway.

"Well…uh…we had better get up there then," said Emily breathily, clearing her throat.

"Yeah, Robbie'll be needing us," said Mike. The tried to walk out of the doorway but ended up bumping into each other on the way out instead. They laughed nervously and continued on their way out. Why, if they had just experienced such an intimate moment together not that long ago, were they that giddy about bumping into each other? They reached the top to find everybody crowded around the edge of the ship.

"What seems to be, Captain?" asked Mike.

"Seems to be food," said Robbie. "Riley caught a crapload of fish and we just need help with the haul, if that's good to you."

"Good to us? Man, it's _food!" _said Micky. "Haul away!"

"Alrighty everybody, take a part of the net and heave!" called Riley from atop the mast with the lever to bring the net up. "On my count! One, two, go!" The boys and Emily tugged as Riley gave them help from the lever, and before they knew it there was a huge net on deck filled with still-flopping fish; the biggest any of them had ever seen.

"My God…" said Micky, filled with wonder. "This is the best sight I've ever seen!"

"Only till ya gotta scale em," said Riley, swinging down from the mast. Davy skillfully caught her in his arms and sat her down gingerly before Robbie could make a fuss.

"Scale em?" asked Peter.

"Skin and filet them," said Raul, sneaking up on all of them. "Yes, I know, I've done this before."

"Sure you have," said Mike icily. Now that he knew what Raul was up to for sure, he didn't very much like him.

"It's easy," said Raul. "Just watch." He glanced at Mike, looking very suspicious. Breath caught in Mike's throat; did he see him spying on him earlier?

"I think the people that know how to scale should do it," said Robbie sternly, breaking the tension. He glared at Raul. "You, come with me and Riley.

"I can do it too!" said Emily.

"As much as I love seeing you awake, the three of us got this," said Robbie with a glint in his eye. He had become rather taken with Emily in the short time she was awake, and Mike was starting to see it. It wasn't worth getting all bent out of shape over…at least not yet. "Come on," said Robbie to Raul and Riley. Robbie took the fish-filled net and dragged it away with the other two, keeping an eye on Raul the whole way down.

"Geez, Robbie really doesn't trust Raul at all, does he?" said Davy.

"Of course he doesn't," said Mike. "He ain't on our side." He turned to Emily. "Just…watch out for Robbie, okay? I think he's taken with you, and some guys get…possessive."

Emily burst out into laughter. "Oh Mike, you're so funny!" she said. "You're acting like my father or something! I'll watch out for what I need to watch out for."

"Uh…okay?" said Mike. Father? After all of that good old-fashioned lovin' that happened earlier…father?

"Don't worry Mike, I'll watch out for the big bad man," said Emily. She gave him a small peck on the lips before walking down below decks to her room.

Peter, Micky, and Davy looked at him. "Ya know mate, you've got yourself a crazy one," said Davy. "Just tell her how you feel already and she'll probably stop acting like a weirdo."

"I just don't get it," said Mike. "I dunno, maybe she's just too much of a free-loving hippie for me."

"Hippies have feelings too," said Peter.

Mike laughed. "Oh Peter, what would we do without you?" he said.

"I dunno, but we're surrounded by water, wanna find out?" asked Micky.

Normally Mike would have talked back to that, but he was still locked in thought of Emily. What game was she playing? She acted like they were only friends, slept with him, called him her father, and then kissed him before she walked away. There was something locked deep inside that head of hers, and her heart. Mike knew that Emily was the one for him, he knew it deep inside, but how would he get her to see?

_At Gary's house:_

Gary Rowe sat in his main room, fuming with rage at his latest discovery…Emily could actually use the flute. Sure, he had made sure that she would be transported to the island by playing his own composition, but that was his doing, wasn't it? Only someone with great power could stop a storm like that. He refused to think what Raul thought though, that he was biting off more than he could chew with the girl. She was silly and naïve; that magic was probably just by chance…maybe the storm was getting ready to stop anyway. At least Mike hadn't used it since that one time.

One thing Gary kept to himself though was that he was afraid. He refused to let it show, especially to Raul. He was frightened that he would have to get rid of Al before he could find out any secrets and that Emily may be more powerful than he had guessed. It was only a small chance, but he remembered her grandfather…his own father. The things he was able to do with that flute were unbelievable. Yes, he was talented in simple parlor tricks, but when it came to power and magic…it frightened him as a child at times. When Raul had told him about Emily stopping the storm, he had a flashback to his youth and the way his father used to play. The lights, the surges, the impossible music.

He tried so hard not to doubt himself; it was doubt that led to failure, but Gary couldn't help but just feel as shred of that doubt. As long as Emily didn't know that she could use that amount of power any time she wanted though, everything would go according to plan. Just because it happened once didn't mean it ever had to happen again. Gary sat back and relaxed, taking a sip of water from the glass on the table. He had ought to stop worrying so much; he would get that flute—he was meant to have it.

_Back on the ship:_

"Wow Riley, that sure was good!" complemented Peter on the huge fish dinner they had eaten in the dining room of the ship.

"Glad you liked it," said Riley. "I think it's something we all deserved, right?"

"All too right," said Mike. "Man I can't wait till we get back to LA…we can eat like this every day guys!"

"Mike man, are you nuts?" asked Micky. "We don't have that kind of money, we can't afford jack!"

"Well, I don't know who 'Jack' is," said Emily. "But you all should get jobs if that's the case."

"Jack's not a person," said Riley, sounding slightly irritated. For some reason, Emily didn't seem to be rubbing her the right way. Robbie, on the other hand, was right with Mike's suspicions. Every chance Robbie got Mike caught him giving Emily a very flirty look from across the table. When Mike noticed, he shot Robbie a warning glance, but that didn't seem to faze the sailor any. Oh well, Mike thought. It wasn't like Emily was actually his anyhow.

"She knew that, she was just kidding," said Mike.

"Oh, okay," said Riley, still not buying it.

"I think I feel a food coma setting in," said Davy. "That's the stuff…"

"That's because you ate half of everything," said Raul. "You must learn to curb yourself. For someone as small as you, Davy, you do eat a lot."

"Hey, I resent that, I do!" Davy snapped.

"Well…he's kinda right," said Mike. He didn't want to agree with that rat Raul, but he had to in this case.

"Hey, Mike, come with me for a minute," said Emily, standing up all of the sudden."

"Sure Em," said Mike, praying that this was going to be good. "What's the matter?"

"I'll tell you when we get to my room," said Emily. Mike nodded and stood up. As he followed Emily out, he caught Robbie frowning at both of them. Mike didn't like that. He liked and trusted Robbie, but if he was going to be like that and let a girl get between them, there was no telling what could happen.

They arrived at Emily's room and she walked Mike in and shut the door. "What's wrong Emily?" Mike asked. "You look really worried about something. Is it Robbie?"

Emily snorted. "No Mike, it's not Robbie," she said. "It's just…this whole thing with Raul, and that guy he was talking to…I have a theory about it, and I'm really worried."

"What is it?" asked Mike.

"It may be far-fetched," said Emily.

"I don't care," said Mike. "If you have an idea about it, tell me, it could help. This has more to do with you than with any of us."

"Okay," said Emily. "The guy Raul was talking to…what did he look like, could you tell?"

"Well, lemme think," said Mike. "I remember a lot of curly blond hair. That's all I remember though."

"I thought so…" said Emily. "Listen Mike, I think—I think that man is my uncle Gary."

"I actually think Raul said that name," said Mike, alarmed by the news. "What's bad about Uncle Gary?"

"I haven't seen him in years, since before I ran away," said Emily. "He's my father's younger brother and he was always jealous of my father for getting the flute passed down to him. He's a power magnet, always been. He was furious when I got the flute; he always thought it should have been his all along. And now Raul's leading us to him Mike. My uncle is a terrible person, and there's no telling what he'll do to us once we get to him. I'm scared Mike, so very scared!"

Mike looked at her and saw how scared she really was. She was gazing up at him with those big blue eyes that were brimming with tears, and her bottom lip was trembling. There was no doubt in the world that the mystery man was her uncle Gary, and Emily knew more than anyone what a monster he was capable of being.

"Don't worry Em, everything will be fine," said Mike. "It's late already, do you want to get some sleep?"

"I would like that," said Emily. Mike tried to leave the room, but Emily kept a good, tight grip on his arm. Mike smiled a little as he came back to her and walked her to the bed. He felt bad for the poor frightened girl; she needed someone to stay with for the night, and it looked like he was her man for the job. Emily wrapped her arms around him and Mike wasn't sure if this night would end like the day began, but with the kiss they shared he became much more sure.


	14. Chapter 14

Mike awoke the next morning to find himself next to Emily, who was still fast asleep, in her bed. Mike chuckled to himself at the memory of the night before. Yes, Emily was messing with his head, and probably not on purpose, but it sure was nice to have what they had, whatever it was. Careful to not wake her up, Mike rose, gently lifting her arm off from across his chest. He sat up in bed and just looked at her. Asleep, Emily looked innocent as an angel, her long hair spread across her pillow like a golden halo, the bright sun reflecting on her fair skin. She was so beautiful…he had to tell her of his feelings, but how? He had never been this intimidated by a woman before.

Taking one last look of the sleeping Emily, Mike got up, found his clothes, and walked up to deck. The boys weren't up there yet; the only one he saw was Robbie at the wheel still. "Mornin' Robbie," said Mike, walking up to him.

"Good morning, Mike," said Robbie without taking his eyes off the horizon. "How goes it?"

"Goes well," said Mike. There was a brief silence that was filled with tension. Did Robbie know that Mike had just come from Emily's room? He knew that Robbie was taken with her, but was it that much?

"That's good," said Robbie. "How was your night?"

"Just like any other," said Mike. "Yours?"

"Like any other," said Robbie. "But if your night was just like any other for you, you're one lucky guy, aren't you?" Mike was just about to give Robbie a "what was that supposed to mean" when his sharp tongue was rescued by Peter, Micky, and Davy walking back on deck.

"Hey Mike!" Peter greeted. "Robbie."

"Hey there Pete," said Mike filled with relief that he was prevented from starting to go off at Robbie. Perhaps the guys were right; maybe he really was impulsive. "What's going on?"

"Not much, we just woke up," said Davy. "You?"

"Same," said Mike.

Davy looked Mike over once and craned his neck up so he was looking directly at him. "You, come with me," said Davy, and before Mike could so much as reply, Davy yanked him off in the opposite direction, away from everyone else.

"Davy, what's the matter with you?" Mike snapped. "Gimme an explanation!"

"Oh, I'll give you one, but first you gotta give me one!" said Davy. "You did it again, didn't you?"

"Did what again?" Mike huffed, but knowing exactly what was on Davy's mind.

"Come _on _mate, you bloody well know what," said Davy. "So don't give me that, Peter saw you walking out of Emily's room this morning!"

"That doesn't mean anything happened," said Mike.

"Ah!" exclaimed Davy. "So you admit it!"

"I'm admitting to me being in her room last night," said Mike. "And nothing more, so will you please drop it Davy?"

"Look Mike, both me and that big ol' hickey on your neck know what happened between you and Emily last night," said Davy flatly. "So try not to deny it anymore."

"Big ol' what now?" asked Mike, putting a hand on his neck. Sure enough, although he didn't see it, there was indeed a large hickey on his neck of a brilliant shade of purple, courtesy of Emily. "I'm gonna kill that woman," he grumbled.

"Mike, have you told her how you feel yet?" asked Davy.

"Not yet," said Mike.

"Mike man, you've gotta stop doing this to yourself," said Davy. "And who knows what you're doing to Emily; God bless the man who can get inside her head and understand it."

"Davy, stop worrying so much," said Mike. "Everything's fine, no one's going crazy or getting heartbroken. Will ya just leave well enough alone?"

"No Mike, I can't," said Davy. "Listen mate, you're always there for us when we end up screwing up, and now that you're the one who's about to screw up, we're here for you this time. Either go and tell Emily how you feel or stop everything."

"Come on Davy, like you haven't done anything with Riley," said Mike, refusing to listen.

"Be that as it may," said Davy. "We know we have feelings for each other. You can't compare that to you and Emily fooling around."

"Give it a rest Davy," said Mike. "Look, I'll tell her when I tell her, but right now no one's getting hurt."

"Fine Mike," said Davy, giving up. "Just…be careful, will ya?"

"Careful as I can be," said Mike.

"Hey, guys check this out!" Micky called from a few feet away.

"What's up Mick?" asked Mike as he and Davy walked over.

"We're here everyone," said Robbie. "The mountains are just around the corner." From the side of the ship they were clearly visible—huge, majestic mountains, blanketed with white snow and soaring past the clouds high up in the air. They looked beautiful, but at the same time Mike could not help but remember what Raul and everybody else had said about them being dangerous.

"When should we be arriving?" asked Raul.

"In just a few minutes, I have to find a safe place to dock the ship," said Robbie. "Riley, keep a lookout, will ya?"

"Gotcha Captain," said Riley, smirking at her silliness of calling her older brother "Captain" as she headed up to the crow's nest.

"Okay," said Robbie. "Shall I go and wake Emily up?"

"Nah, I've got it," said Mike sharply. "Besides, you're steering this thing, it'd be a little dumb to leave the wheel like that." Before Mike could hear Robbie's retort, if there was any anyway, he was off below decks to Emily's room.

On the way down, Mike figured that he may as well tell Emily whatever he needed to tell her before Robbie up and stole her away. Of course there was a time and a place for things like that to be said and now wasn't either of those, so Mike was stuck in a bind. He reached Emily's room and saw that once he walked inside she was still fast asleep. He walked up to her and lightly touched her arm. She stirred and groaned a bit, but didn't wake up.

"Emily, Em, wake up," Mike whispered as he softly shook Emily again. He hated to wake her up seeing how peaceful and sweet she looked being asleep and Mike really wanted nothing more than to crawl back in with her, but if they were to make good time, then she had to wake up now.

Emily stirred and groaned some more. "Wazzup…" she mumbled as she slowly opened her sleepy eyes.

"Emily, we're getting to the mountains now," said Mike. "You gotta get up and dressed hon."

Emily coughed a little and sat up slowly. "Okay…" she groaned. Mike smiled; Emily was downright adorable when she was sleepy. Her eyes were halfway shut and heavy, her hair was a frizzy mess that covered her face. "Where are my clothes?"

"Around," said Mike.

"Terrific," said Emily. She went to get out of the bed to get her clothes, but instead she tumbled out of it to the floor, taking most of the sheets with her. She hit the floor with a dull thud and lay there for a moment before getting up to gather her clothes.

"You alright there?" asked Mike as Emily groggily got dressed and fixed her hair.

"I detest mornings," said Emily.

"So I gathered," said Mike. Tired, morning Emily was a far cry from the usual bubbly, ditzy, free-spirited Emily Mike had grown to know and love, and frankly he was quite amused by her now. "Come on Em, you'll wake up soon enough."

"I better," said Emily. "Cause I just don't feel right."

"Maybe some fresh air will help," said Mike. He helped her up the stairs to the deck where everyone still was. The mountains were still very visible and grand over the horizon, reflecting in the water of the river.

"Morning beautiful!" said Robbie cheerily to Emily. "Sleep well?" He gave Mike an all-knowing and possibly murderous look. Of course Mike knew why Robbie would know about last night; that hickey Davy had pointed out earlier was a dead giveaway.

"Well enough," said Emily walking to the side of the ship. "They're quite beautiful…the mountains."

"Well, they don't measure up to a lovely woman Emily," said Robbie. Mike almost felt sorry that Robbie wasn't able to walk over to where Emily was because he wouldn't be able to punch his lights out for his comings-on.

"Yeah, Davy thinks your sister's cute," said Peter out of nowhere, unknowingly saving the day.

"Yeah, I know," said Robbie, sounding defeated. A beast lodged deep inside Mike gave a roar of victory.

"But seriously, what's so wrong about that, huh?" asked Micky, swinging over. "Davy'd make a great brother-in-law!"

"Sure would," said Davy. "Walk your dog and everything."

"Knock it off you guys, can't you see it's bothering him?" said Mike, although he was starting to enjoy every minute of it. "You don't wanna piss off the guy who's steering the ship."

"He's right," said Robbie. "Hey, Riley, see anything up there?"

"Still not so clear," said Riley from up above. "Still a bit further down. And thanks for thinking I'm cute guys!"

"Not a problem love, all in a days' work for us!" called Davy.

"So Raul, how much further to the other side of the island and safety after the mountains?" asked Mike, curious to hear what Raul's answer might be.

"The place is in the mountains," said Raul. "A house of a dear friend of mine; he will help you get back home." Mike saw Emily's face grow scared and stony. That must be her uncle Gary's house Raul was talking about.

"Who's this friend of yours?" asked Mike.

"You shall find out in due time," said Raul icily. Mike wanted so badly to expose Raul's plot to him, but he also wanted to get to where he was taking them. There were so many loose ends he needed to figure out. Why they were going where they were going, why they had Al as prisoner, and just how powerful was that flute. He didn't want to expose any of his friends to danger, but that was what Robbie and Riley were there for.

"Land ho!" came the loud cry from Riley from the crow's nest.

"Alright sister, guide me home!" said Robbie. Following Riley's instructions, Robbie steered the ship into a small crevice where the river ended and the mountains began.

"Steady now, don't scratch her!" Riley said.

"Gotcha," said Robbie as he carefully docked. "Anchor down, somebody!"

"I've got it!" said Peter, but Mike pushed him out of the way and did it himself before Peter could hurt himself or anyone else.

"And we're here!" exclaimed Robbie.

"Very good," said Raul. "I do believe I will take my place back as guide, if it is all right to you."

"You know the mountains better than my sister or me," said Robbie. "You be our guide, but keep us safe, ya hear?"

"You have my word sir," said Raul.

"Just thinking…will it be a little cold up there?" asked Emily. "Do we have any coats?"

"I always travel prepared," said Robbie, approaching Emily. "Just wait right here dear, I'll get some coats for all of us." Robbie went off, followed by Mike's stinging glare. Emily pranced off to get a closer look at the mountains and Riley came down from the crow's nest to Mike.

"You do have a right to be pissed at my brother for taking your lady you know," she said.

"She ain't my lady," said Mike.

"Not yet," said Riley. "Don't think that Davy doesn't tell me things, cause he does."

"Remind me to wring his little neck," grumbled Mike.

Riley laughed. "I probably won't," she said. "But watch out—Robbie is sweet, but he can get competitive."

"I'll be sure to have a look out for him then," said Mike. He walked off to the guys and Robbie returned a few minutes later with coats for everyone.

"Put these on," said Robbie. "They're a little heavy, but they won't let you freeze to death."

"Gee, thanks Robbie," said Peter, taking his and putting it on. "These are really swell."

"Yeah man, groovy stuff," said Micky, putting his on as well.

"Glad you like em," said Robbie. He handed Emily her coat and brushed hands with her. Mike almost lost it there, but kept it together. He could not create a vendetta with someone he trusted out there.

"Okay, I think we're all set," said Mike once everyone was bundled up. "Now the question is how we're gonna get up these godforsaken mountains."

"Simple," said Raul. "We climb them."

"Oh yeah, sounds simple, don't it?" said Mike. "I suppose what I should have said was how do we get up them without killing ourselves!"

"Relax Mike, I have ropes and harnesses," said Raul. "I am a skilled mountaineer, we can survive, I promise you."

"I think it sounds like great fun," said Emily. "I've never been mountain climbing before!"

"Yeah, neither have any of us love and trust me I'd rather hoped not to do it any day," said Davy. "I'm scared of heights I am!"

"Well Davy, that's cause you're never up high, are you?" joked Micky.

"Only these guys can stay having a sense of humor at the base of a who-knows-how-many-foot-tall mountain we're about to climb," said Mike.

"Who knows, it may help," said Riley. "And don't worry about the heights Davy dear, I bet you won't even notice them!"

"Thanks Riley," said Davy, looking sickly as he craned his neck up to look at the peak. "That's very comforting…I'll try to think of that."

"Come on everyone," said Raul, preparing to leave the ship. "If we are to make good time, we must start moving now. We must take our time through the mountains; as I have said before, they are very dangerous."

"Oh, what is danger?" Emily said, spunkily leaping from the ship to the ground. "Come on guys!"

"She may be the death of us," moaned Riley, following her anyway.

"I would have agreed a few days ago," said Mike, also following. "But now…she did save us from that storm you know."

"Not to mention…wait, what else did she do?" asked Peter.

"We're still waiting to see," said Micky. "Who knows, maybe she'll stop an avalanche?"

"I dunno about any of you, but I'm hoping for no avalanche to begin with," said Davy. "Man, I think I'm gonna be sick if I look at the top again…"

"Close your eyes," said Emily. "That way you won't be able to see where the top is!"

"Yeah, and everything else around me too!" said Davy. "I swear, I'm gonna die today!"

"Don't be so scared Davy," said Peter. "If I'm not that scared, you shouldn't be!"

"Ya know what Pete, you're right," said Davy. "I'm just gonna suck it up…be a man and suck it up, that's right, that's what I'll do!"

"That's my Davy!" said Riley, grabbing onto his hand. Robbie had given up on those two by then. Besides, he had Emily distracting him.

"Well…here we are," said Mike as they got to the base of the mountain. "I'm starting to think this is gonna prove difficult."

"It's just a big rock," said Emily. "As long as you think like that, everything will be okay!" Mike sure wished he could think more like Emily sometimes; it would make life much easier. Of course he couldn't be that carefree because of the people and situations he had to take care of all the time, but it would sure make it a hell of a lot simpler to read Emily's complex and strange mind. Just like climbing a mountain…a big, scary, tall, cold mountain. Yep, Mike could sure use a bit of naïveté at the moment for this conquest.


	15. Chapter 15

It took a while, but Raul finally at all of the ropes and harnesses and every little thing needed to climb the mountains (no one knew where he was hiding all of that stuff to start with; it was just one of those little things that needed no explanation) all set up. "Okay everyone," Raul said, testing all of the straps for tightness. "It's time to start. Remember; take your time or else it will be more dangerous than necessary. And hold on tight."

"Ya don't have to tell me twice," said Davy, fidgeting with his harness. "I swear, they should have some sort of padding to go on this thing! This harness doesn't sit right on me if you all know what I mean."

"It's not that bad Davy," said Riley, who had already grabbed onto the mountain.

"Yeah, for you," grumbled Davy.

"Come on guys, we're not gonna get anywhere if we moan and complain about it," said Mike.

"Mike's right, as usual," said Micky. "Let's get going everybody, we're burning daylight."

"But doesn't daylight burn anyway?" asked Emily, getting a grip on the rocks. "Burn? Cause of the sun?"

Mike laughed. He knew that if Peter had made that very same comment he would have smacked him upside the head and scolded him for being silly, but somehow Emily making it was hilarious. Plus it was sort of true, now that he thought about it. It soon occurred to Mike that he was the only one not ready to start climbing. He strutted up to the mountain will all the faux confidence of an actor in an action film and grabbed hold of the rocks.

"So…how do we start?" asked Micky nervously.

"Like this!" said Emily, and started to go clumsily yet confidently up the mountains.

"Emily, wait up, be careful!" Mike called, following her up. After only a few steps, he realized just how hard mountain climbing was. He was only following Emily up for a moment when his foot missed the small crevice he was looking for and slipped, resulting in him giving Peter, who was behind him, a good kick in the face.

"Ow, Mike!" Peter complained. "That was my nose!"

"You can always get a new one," said Mike, rebalancing himself. He kept a close eye on Emily, who was ahead of all of them, except for Raul, who was close by. He was almost thankful that Raul was right there because he knew that as long as Emily had that flute, he would let nothing happen to her, but all the same…Raul wasn't as decent as they originally thought he was.

"Careful up here Mike," said Robbie, who had come up next to him. "You don't wanna fall off of this…Emily would be upset." Mike held his tongue, but so badly wanted to push Robbie off the mountainside.

"I'll be more careful," Mike said instead. They group kept climbing and the air was starting to get thin and cold.

"And this is what the coats were for," said Riley, stopping for a moment. "Man, I forgot how cold it could actually get."

"Well, you can't bring sunny California everywhere with you," said Micky. "You holding up okay down there, Davy?"

"Holding _on _up _here _is more like it!" said Davy. "I can't feel my face it's so cold!"

"If you keep moving it'll warm you up," said Raul.

"Easy for you to say," said Davy, begrudgingly continuing on. "You've done this before!"

"Just relax Davy and everything will be all right," said Mike, a little nervous himself. He realized that the higher and colder it got, the more slippery the rocks were because of the ice frozen onto them. Soon there would be snow, and that would be worse to handle.

"Trying mate," said Davy, catching up to the rest of them. "But I just ain't made for this. Gimme a nice, rough, horse to ride once we get up there and that's gonna be a different, better story, but right now—Ahhh!"

"Davy!" Mike cried. Somehow, Davy's strap had become unfastened, and he was swinging by a thread from the rope off of the mountainside.

"I told you I was gonna die today, I told you!" Davy screamed, panicked. "Save me, somebody, help!"

"Davy, hold on!" Riley called. "Grab onto my hand!" She reached out her hand to Davy, who was still holding on for dear life.

"I can't!" said Davy, trying to reach. "You're too far away!"

"Swing up!" said Mike.

"My rope'll break!" said Davy.

"It may be your only chance!" Riley said. "Davy, you're gonna have to try!"

Davy looked down below and saw how far up they were already. There was no way in hell he'd let himself fall down that far. He looked up at his friends and Riley with her outstretched hand and pleading eyes. "Okay, I'll do it, but if I die, remember it's on you!" he said. Closing his eyes tight, his legs swinging in midair, he gripped what was left of his rope, brought his feet to the rock, kicked off, and swung, screaming all the way. Riley leaned down and caught his hand, but it wasn't over yet.

"Riley, I'm slipping!" Davy yelped.

"Just hang on Davy!" said Riley. Davy tried, but his rope ripped some more and he slipped farther down.

'Wait a minute…" said Mike, getting an idea. "Peter, gimme that little branch sticking out of the rocks up by you!"

"You mean this?" asked Peter, pointing to a thin branch that was growing out of the mountainside. "You sure that'll be enough?"

"It'll have to do," said Mike. "Now grab it!"

"Quickly, I don't know how much longer I can hold on," said Riley urgently.

"Got it," said Peter, snapping off the branch and handing it down to Mike.

"Perfect," said Mike. "Hey, Raul, you got an extra harness of any kind?"

"I do," said Raul, searching through his bag. He took out a harness and tossed it down to Mike, who caught it.

"Thanks!" said Mike. "Okay Riley, take the harness and strap it to your back so Davy can get strapped to you. Can you carry him?"

"Yeah, I can," said Riley. "Robbie, get this thing on me."

"I sure hope this is gonna work guys!" said Davy, slipping more and more.

"Micky, hold onto my rope, I'm gonna lower down with the branch so Davy can get a grip on it," said Mike.

"Gotcha Mike," said Micky, leaning down to get a hold of Mike's rope.

"Okay Davy, I'm coming," said Mike, once Robbie had strapped the harness to Riley. Mike lowered himself and reached the branch out to Davy. "Grab onto this and get yourself strapped to Riley."

"Ooh, with pleasure!" said Davy with a mischievous grin.

"Not now Davy!" snapped Mike. "Just grab on."

"Okay, okay, I won't joke," said Davy. He grabbed the branch and Robbie helped him into the harness on Riley's back. "Hello love!"

"Hey there," said Riley. "Oh, I'm so glad you're all safe! Thank you everyone!"

"Not a problem," said Emily. "Although I'm kinda upset I didn't do anything to help."

"Oh, I'm sure you've done enough," said Riley, rolling her eyes.

"I would offer to fix the rope with my flute, but I'd be a little scared to," said Emily. "I've been unpredictable with this thing lately."

"I think we're good where we are Em," said Mike. "Holding up all right you two?"

"I'm alive mate, I think that's an accomplishment," said Davy, clutching to Riley for dear life. "This a pretty nice way to be alive actually, I'm quite content."

"Oh, Davy, stop it you!" Riley giggled.

"Okay, I guess if we're over our excitement, we can get a move on again now?" asked Robbie, not looking too thrilled about Davy being strapped to his younger sister's back.

"Everyone, let's go," said Raul from up ahead. "But double check everything to make sure something like this won't happen again; that was too close a call." Everyone checked their ropes and harnesses after that. Mike didn't know about anyone else, but he certainly didn't want to fall either. After a few minutes of recovering from all of that shock, the company was on the move once more.

"Hey, Mike man, down here," Micky said to Mike to the side. Mike waited for Micky to come up to him before they spoke.

"What's the matter?" asked Mike.

"Man, I just don't get something," said Micky. "If we know that Raul's a bad guy and stuff, then why are we following him still? I know we have Robbie and Riley to help us, but isn't this turned into a suicide mission?"

"Micky, it's either follow Raul or stay on the island," said Mike. "If Gary had a hand in getting us here, then perhaps meeting him can help us get back home."

"Gary?" asked Micky.

"The guy Raul was talking to, the guy we met on the street, remember?" said Mike.

"Oh, okay," said Micky. "Did we ever find out who he was? Just some guy?"

Mike sighed. "Emily thinks he's her ill-tempered and jealous uncle, and I believe her," he said. "Her father is his older brother, and he always hated Emily and her father for having the flute instead of him, and Emily thinks he's after her because of that."

"Oh man…" said Micky. "Well, I guess that makes sense…and we're sure he's named Gary?"

"One hundred percent," said Mike. "She's scared to bits, the poor thing."

"Dude, you're really hung up," said Micky.

"Yeah, and let me tell you Mick, it killed me to see her as scared as she was last night, _killed _me," said Mike. "I just hope everything turns out the best it can. Cause I can tell you right now, I'm scared too."

"Well, I suppose if you think that getting to this Gary guy'll help us get back home, then we have no choice but to go with you on it," said Micky. "Let's just hope he holds the key."

"If he got us here, he can get us back," said Mike. "How else do you think he was able to get back and forth from here to LA? He knows something. May not have to do with the flute, but it's something. Plus I really wanna see what he wants with Al…this whole thing is getting fishier by the minute."

"Whatever you say Mike," said Micky. He craned his neck to look at Raul. "Hey, Raul! How much farther to the top of this thing?"

"Not much," said Raul. "We're almost there, I can see it from here."

"Great," said Riley. "Cause no offence Davy, but I don't think I can hold you for much longer."

"None taken love," said Davy. "I just wanna get to the top of this thing and have done with it!"

"I think this has been quite the adventure," said Emily, who seemed to be one of the few with no problems with the climb.

"You don't have to tell us twice," said Peter, who was excited before Davy fell, but was now so frightened he could barely speak.

"You boys are probably the worst kinds of shut-ins," said Robbie. "Tell me, what do you do for work?"

"I take much offence to that 'shut-in' comment man," said Mike. "We're out all the time, we're a rock and roll band!"

"Oh, well what are you, the lead guitarist, big-mouth?" asked Robbie.

"He's the _only _guitarist," said Micky.

"And he's very good at it," said Emily. "I've heard him play myself, and he's _very _talented." Mike had an involuntary grin slapped on his face, and he took much pride in the taken-aback look from Robbie, whose pride was obviously hurt by Emily complementing Mike.

"Thank you Emily," said Mike. "And despite any disasters that may have happened before, you sure do play that flute nice."

"Oh, thank you Mike!" Emily practically sung, and she was a_ctually _blushing! Mike felt even more proud of himself. Yep, Emily may not know it yet, but that girl was as good as his already. Forget about Robbie!

"It was very brave the way you saved us all from the storm with it," Robbie suddenly said, deflating Mike a little.

"But when you made the flowers fly all over the place by the lake, now, that was _beautiful_," Mike cut in before Emily could give Robbie another heartfelt "thank you."

"Oh, you both are so thoughtful," said Emily. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it pretty lady," said Robbie as if he had a top hat to tip to her.

"Hey man, listen, she has a name, and it's 'Emily' not 'Pretty Lady'," Mike snapped at Robbie when Emily had turned back around.

"Well at least I call her pretty," said Robbie.

"Man, take that back, I do so call her pretty," said Mike.

"Not that I ever heard," said Robbie.

"Break it up you two," said Riley. "Honestly, I think the most pathetic thing that could exist are two buddies fighting over a girl."

"Tell me about it, how 'bout four of them fighting over Little Miss Freakin' Laundromat?" asked Peter with a sour look on his face.

"Say what now?" asked Robbie.

"I could tell you about it, but I don't f_eel _like it," sneered Mike.

"We're here!" called Raul from the front. "Emily and I will climb to the top and help everyone up, got it?"

"Yeah, we dig," said Micky. "Just quickly, I'm not having much fun."

"I still don't understand why," said Emily, who had gotten to the very top with Raul and started pulling Riley and Davy up. "It's wonderful up here!"

"Is it now?" asked Mike as Emily helped him up. Oh, her touch…even through gloves, it was intoxicating. Once he was up, he saw that the entire landscape was still rough and rocky, but covered completely with white, fluffy snow.

"Wow man, it looks just like a Christmas card up here!" exclaimed Peter in wide-eyed wonder.

"Yeah, there's even one of Santa's little helpers right here," said Micky, nodding over at Davy, who was now unfastened from Riley's back.

"Oh, ha ha, very funny Micky," said Davy.

"Don't you mean 'ho ho ho'?" asked Peter.

"No Peter, I'm not Santa, I'm his helper," said Davy.

"Hah!" said Micky. "So you admit it!"

"Come on guys, focus, the snow's thick out here, we gotta get through it as quick as we can," said Mike.

"Plus Davy may sink," Peter chortled.

"Hey man, that ain't funny now," said Davy. "I almost fell off a mountain today I did! Have a little compassion, will ya?"

"He's right guys," said Riley. "So Raul, where are we going?"

"Just follow me," said Raul. "But for now, stay here, all of you, I'll be right back." He walked off into the distance and Mike knew exactly what he was going to do.

"Should we follow him?" asked Micky, reading Mike's mind.

"Nah, not this time," said Mike. "I think he's a little suspicious about the last time. At least we sort of know his bag a little better now."

"All right," said Micky as they all watched Raul walk away.

Raul had a hard time finding a secluded and private area because of the lack of trees or separate rooms on the mountaintop, but he was soon far enough away from the group that he could call on Gary. Before snapping, he looked around to check for anyone who may be watching. He wasn't sure, but the last time he spoke to Gary, he thought he had noticed someone looking in on them. However, nothing bad had happened to him since then and nothing was said, so he decided against it. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he snapped his fingers and Gary appeared.

"So nice to hear from you Raul," said Gary. "Where are you?"

"We just reached the top of the mountain," said Raul. "We will be getting close to you shortly."

"Ah, good, very good," said Gary. "And the girl?"

"Unhurt, as promised," said Raul. "I must tell you though, we picked up a couple extra people."

"Oh?" said Gary, interested. "And who?"

"The sailors, Robbie and Riley," said Raul.

"Really now?" said Gary. "That will prove interesting. Those two are quite the interesting pair. I think I'm happy about this."

"I was sure you'd be most amused," said Raul.

"Has the girl done anything with the flute since that storm?" asked Gary out of the blue.

"Nothing, not even minor stuff, at least within my sight," said Raul. "Why do you ask?"

"I need to know these things," said Gary. "You must go now Raul, you are very close, so you mustn't dally around."

"You're right sir," said Raul. "I shall be seeing you in just a few days."

"Likewise," said Gary. He faded out, and Raul casually made his way back to the rest of the group.

"So Raul, what was that all about?" asked Mike upon Raul's return.

"None of your concern," said Raul. "Come now, this will only take a few days if we do this the right way. Watch your step; you never know what can be hiding in the snow."

"I think he's suspicious," said Davy.

"I do too," said Mike. "Emily, you holding up okay?"

"As good as I can," said Emily. "I'm still scared Mike…Uncle Gary won't be very nice when we meet him."

"Trust me Em, when we get there, I'll make sure he'll be the damn nicest person you've ever met," said Mike.

Emily beamed. "Thanks Mike, but he can never be you," she said.

"Well golly-gee-wiz!" said Micky, but Mike kicked a flurry of snow at him before he could embarrass him any further. Nevertheless, Mike continued on his way with a mile-wide grin plastered to his face. On his way to certain death or not, he thought he just may be doing all right.


	16. Chapter 16

As the group walked ever on, the colder it seemed to get. Wasn't it supposed to be the more you moved the warmer you would get? Apparently not on these mountains, no. The snow was deep and Mike thanked God for the boots that Robbie had given everyone with their coats. Despite the constant hitting on Emily, Mike was glad to have Robbie around. They went on a little further, and Mike saw that even under her thick coats, Emily was shivering. Mike smiled and walked up to her, taking off his hat and putting it on her.

"That better?" he asked as Emily jumped in surprise.

"Yes Mike, it is, thank you," said Emily, looking quite charmed. "But won't your head get cold?"

"I'll manage," said Mike, shrugging. "Holding up okay?"

"I guess so," said Emily. "It's just really cold up here. But we're on a mountaintop, so what do you expect?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," said Mike.

"I do like it up here though, really," said Emily. "It's lovely. All of the snow everywhere, I've never seen anything like it. Peter was right about it looking like a Christmas card. It's so pure too; it all looks untouched and perfect."

Mike was still in awe of Emily's perpetual innocence and free spirit. Her words were always so beautiful, even when she was goofing off. There was really nothing she seemed to hate. Except her Uncle Gary, but that was another story altogether. "Well, I'm glad you're doing good," said Mike.

"How about you Mike," said Emily. "You seem to be a little on edge lately…I mean, you a_lways _seem to be, but now it kinda seems like a different kind of on edge…if you know what I mean."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Mike. "I'm doing just fine."

"Okay, I believe you," said Emily. "Just checking." She skipped ahead, kicking snow at Mike in the process, but he didn't mind. He lagged behind a bit, watching everyone up ahead.

"You know Mike, the atmosphere is perfect for some good old-fashioned romance," said Davy, sneaking up behind Mike and scaring the daylights out of him.

"Not now Davy," Mike hissed. "Look man, will ya stop bugging me about this and let me handle it by myself? I'm a grown man dammit! You dig?"

"Okay, okay, I dig," said Davy. "It was just a suggestion."

"Better keep it that way," said Mike.

"I hate this snow," Peter grumbled from up ahead. "Every time there's a rock, I seem to be the one to step on it!"

"Well, you can't see them Peter," said Micky.

"Yeah, ain't no shame in tripping over something you can't see," said Mike.

"Easy for you to say," said Peter, right before tripping over yet another hidden rock and falling face-first into the snow with a dull thud and a yelp. "This sucks Mike," he said without getting up out of the snow. "I just wanna go home."

"We'll get home shotgun," said Mike, helping Peter up. "Come on, be more careful."

"Thanks Mike," said Peter once he was standing up. He brushed the snow off himself and started to walk with everyone else again. "I'm just tired of this…I'm scared we won't make it back."

"We will," said Mike. "Trust me Pete, when have I ever lead you the wrong way?"

"We there was that time you ran that red light on the way to the movies," said Micky.

"I could have sworn it was yellow…" Mike reminisced.

"We will stop here for the time being," said Raul. "Camp will be set. Mike, can you start a fire again?"

"With pleasure," said Mike. "Are we gonna use those little dinky tents that Emily conjured up? I don't think they'll be warm enough."

"Oh…" said Emily, caught off guard. "I guess none of us thought that through…"

"I did," said Robbie, throwing down his backpack. "I have one large tent in this bag."

"How in the hell does a tent big enough for all of us fit in that little bag?" asked Mike. Granted the bag wasn't little at all, it was a large bag, but still, nothing as big as a tent for eight could fit in a bag that size.

"Mike, you don't believe in little miracles, do you?" asked Robbie. He unzipped his bag, reached inside, and pulled out what looked like a huge…well…Mike really couldn't tell what it looked like, it was all folded up, but he knew it had to be the tent. Robbie smiled smugly as he shook it a couple times to loosen it up, and it unfolded into one, huge tent, big enough for everyone. "Well, there ya go," said Robbie, placing it in the snow. "Emily, come and help me stake this down!"

Emily dashed up eagerly to help Robbie, and he gave Mike yet a smugger look as they staked the tent down. Mike glared at him, but he received a warning look from Davy and Micky to make him stop whatever he was planning on doing.

"Man Robbie, this thing is _huge!" _said Emily I awe as she stood back to admire the tent.

"Why yes, ma'am, it is," said Robbie wryly.

"Alright, that's it," said Mike gruffly, marching forward, but Davy and Micky grabbed him by his arms and Peter by his back, yanking him backwards.

"He's only doing that to get a rise out of you," said Micky.

"Yeah, and a different kind of rise out of Emily," said Mike, yanking himself free of his friends' grasps. "I tell ya, I trust Robbie with dealing with Raul, but I don't want Emily alone with him; he's bad news."

"I keep telling ya mate, if you want Robbie to stop bugging her, just tell her how you feel," said Davy.

"Oh yeah, and what if she doesn't feel the same way?" said Mike. "That'll only hurt me and that pervert Robbie'll have fucking open season on her."

"Mike, I think you're too proud," said Peter stoutly. "Either that or you just plain don't know how to talk to her."

"Yeah, and to have Peter tell you that you must be really bad," said Davy.

"Beat it you guys," said Mike.

"Uh…how 'bout 'no'," said Micky. Mike pushed him down into the snow and walked away again.

"Mike's way too broody," said Peter. "I think he needs to lighten up a bit."

"You're telling me," said Micky, getting up and brushing off the snow. "I'm the one he pushed into the snow!"

"Just saying though, if he's not gonna be the one to tell Emily he loves her, it's gonna be one of us," said Davy.

"Davy, that's not smart at all, he'll kill us!" Peter said.

"And besides, isn't the whole idea of this Mike doing it himself?" asked Micky. "We all know Mike, he'll do it when we stop bugging him about it man."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Davy. Riley walked over to him and swung an arm around him. "What's up love?"

"You may wanna watch Mike, that's what," said Riley. "He's been eyeing my brother like he's a bull moose ready to charge."

"Oh no," Peter groaned. "What do we do?"

"What do you mean 'what do we do?'?" asked Riley. "Stop _both _of them before it turns into a freaking bloodbath up here!"

"Will it get that bad?" asked Micky.

"Well, not exactly, but still…Robbie knows what he wants," said Riley. They all looked over and saw that Emily was chatting idly with Robbie while still fixing up the tent. Mike was standing off to the side with a very miffed expression and his arms crossed and Raul was off to the other side observing, looking quite amused.

"You did a really good job Emily," said Robbie. "Was this your first time?"

"Sort of," said Emily. "But never on anything this big."

"Well, you're really good at it kiddo," said Robbie.

"Hey man, cool it over there," Mike called. "You're talking to her like she's a little kid who did her first fingerpainting. She's a grown woman who helped put up a tent."

"Take a chill pill Mike, I'm only complementing the lady," said Robbie. "And Mike, you may want to take your hat back from Emily—you have some horrible hat hair."

"No, Emily can keep the hat, she's cold," said Mike.

"Mike, your hair's not bad at all," said Emily.

"Thank you Emily," said Mike, filled with pride.

"But Robbie did nothing wrong by complementing me," Emily continued. "He was just saying I was doing a good job! Made me feel good."

"Sure he did," said Mike, trying not to feel disheartened by Robbie's smug grin. "And I don't make you feel good at all?"

"Mike, of course you make me feel good plenty," said Emily. "What's going on with you? Don't you like Robbie?" Robbie smiled and waved at Mike.

"Oh, I like him well enough," said Mike. "Do you?"

"Of course I do!" said Emily. "Mike, what is this about?"

"Don't worry about it Em, let's look at the inside of the tent to see if it's held up okay," said Robbie.

"Oh, hold up now!" Mike cut in. "I'm the only one who calls her that! And I know why you want to go inside the tent with _'Em' _and it's not to check and see if it's held up! It's to pitch another one with her, and don't ask me what I mean, cause I _know _you know what I mean!"

"Mike, I _told _you to chill," said Robbie menacingly as he approached him. "But you didn't listen!"

"Knock it off you two!" said Emily, cutting in. "What is going on here? You two are acting like children!"

"Oh, and like you don't sometimes?" said Mike, rounding on Emily. "Tell me Emily, are you that innocent and naïve that you can't see what Robbie wants with you?"

"Probably nothing you haven't done!" said Emily. "Why are you acting this way Mike, just tell me!"

"Why are you letting Robbie lust all over you like a horny high school kid?" asked Mike. "You can tell me that!"

"Mike, stop avoiding the question!" Emily yelled uncharacteristically. "You're not acting like yourself, now tell me once and for all what's wrong with you so we can all move on from this!"

"You wouldn't understand," said Mike.

"Oh, _now _who's treating her like a child?" guffawed Robbie.

"That's enough out of you, Robbie!" Mike snapped. "I've been just about fed up with you, trying to get a piece of Emily when you don't even respect her!"

"Oh, I don't respect her now?" said Robbie. "Whose slept with her twice and thought nothing of it?"

"I've thought _everything _of it!" Mike raged on. "So don't you dare tell me that I don't care about this girl, cause I do, with every fiber of my being, _I do!_" The rage and anger was boiling up in Mike's heart now. How dare Robbie go and tell him he didn't care about Emily—he loved her damn it! The alpha male in him was ripping out of his flesh and all he wanted to do was throw Robbie down to the ground and beat him to a bloody, lifeless pulp.

"Then why don't you show it?" shouted Robbie. "The least Emily deserves is someone who is man enough to admit it!"

"Oh, shut up boys!" Emily screamed. "Admit what? Stop leaving me in the dark and let me know!" She rounded on Mike, her hair whipping behind her. "You!" she shouted. "Why I ever wanted to stay with you while you're acting the way you're acting now is a complete and utter mystery! Sometimes I wish that I just stayed on the streets where my life could be normal and eventless like it was before I met you!"

Mike's heart shattered, but it was still pounding in his chest. "No Emily, don't say that!" he said. "You don't understand! Emily, I need you, I want you, I—I—" Dare he say it? Dare he make this the time to tell her everything he ever wanted to since that time in the tent? There was rage in her eyes as she stared him down, but Mike couldn't hold it in anymore. "I love you," he said, feeling defeated and shot down.

For some reason, Mike expected Emily to drop the act, smile, and say, "Oh, then why didn't you say so before? I love you too!" But that wasn't what happened. Her eyes grew wider and wider, and her bottom lip trembled. A single crystal tear fell down her cheek, but Mike was too scared to reach out and wipe it away. She didn't look furious anymore, but scared and confused. Just like the guys said she was.

"Are you happy now, huh?" said Robbie. "Look what you've done now!"

"What do you mean look what I've done?" said Mike. "I outta beat you to the ground you little shit!"

"Bring it on rock star!" said Robbie, and Mike did just that. He jumped on Robbie, fists and feet flying, and the two traded blow after violent blow in the snow. Mike didn't feel any pain from anything; he was filled with rage and fury and everything else. He couldn't even see straight—that was why he didn't see the many pairs of hands reaching at the both of them to break the fight up. It turned out it took everyone in the group to pull Mike and Robbie apart, and Peter, Micky, and Davy were holding Mike away while Riley and Raul were clutching onto Robbie.

"Lemme go, I'm gonna finish him!" Mike growled, trying to break loose.

"Oh no you're not," said Davy, who was trying painstakingly to hold Mike back. Mike soon found out that it was proving useless to fight three grown men trying to hold him back, so eventually, although still pretty damn angry, he stopped fighting.

"You see guys, this is exactly why I didn't want to tell her," said Mike. "I knew I'd lose control, and of course _this _lunatic up and messed the whole thing up!"

"Most of this was your doing," said Robbie. "You didn't have to start it."

"Oh, I started it, didn't I?" said Mike.

"Come on Mike, there's no use in any more fighting," said Peter. "It solves nothing you know."

"Maybe you're right," said Mike, bowing his head. "Right now the only thing that matters right now is you, Emily, I'm sorry that I—wait—Emily!" Mike looked around insanely, but Emily was nowhere to be found.

"She's _gone!" _said Mike, Micky, Peter, and Davy in unison.

"I was _trying _to tell you guys, but you wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise!" said Riley. "If you two weren't so busy fighting with each other, you would be able to see that Emily ran off while you were on the ground wrestling like two apes!"

"Oh no," Raul whispered, his stomach dropping. He couldn't lose her, not now! He rushed off into the distance.

"Looks like he's about to warn Gary," said Micky.

"No time to worry about that!" Mike shouted. "Emily! Emily, I'm coming!" He broke free of his friends' grasps and dashed off in whatever direction he saw rustled snow. This was all his fault, and he was going to right it. H didn't just love Emily, he was _in _love with her, and now he realized that it didn't matter if she felt the same way—he just hoped she wasn't in trouble. His rage disappeared and was replaced with fear. He had to find her, no matter what the cost.


	17. Chapter 17

How could Mike do this to her? Emily thought on and on as she ran through the snow, not looking back. This was just too much for her—what was she to do? Why was Mike saying the things he said, what was going on with Robbie, and why was she feeling the way she felt? All she knew was that she was confused and had to get out of there _fast_ in order to sort everything out. Maybe she wasn't built to feel that way, and Mike really did frighten her by fighting with Robbie. The fire in his eyes reminded her of the many people who had pushed her away for so many years, and she didn't want Mike to be one of those people, because no matter how many times he told her that he loved her, Emily had a dark feeling in the pit of her heart that it just may happen.

_Farther back:_

"Emily! Emily, where are you? _Emily!" _Mike called and called as he rushed through the snow in search of the girl. How could he have been so stupid? He knew how quick his temper was, and he let Robbie infuriate him anyway. And for what? To have the woman he was in love with run off into God-knows-what and possibly be hurt. The cold air stung his face as he ran ever on, wondering if he'd ever see her again.

_At the campsite:_

Raul was worried about Emily for completely different reasons. He was still terrified, but only because he knew Gary would quite literally kill him if Emily was lost. She was precious cargo to him, and Raul hoped greatly that Mike would return with her. Nervously, he made his way to a secluded area. As much as it made him uneasy, he had to tell Gary about what was happening. His normally olive-colored skin grew pale as he slinked off into the distance to be the bearer of bad news.

_With the others:_

"Boy, I sure do hope those two are alright out there," said Peter, shifting his weight nervously. "Are you sure we can't go out and help Mike look?"

"I told you Peter, he just sort of ran off, I dunno what direction he went in," said Davy. "If we try to go after him, we could very well get lost too."

"Yeah Peter, Mike's a smart guy, you know that," said Micky. "He'll sort it out, I know he will."

"He better," said Peter. "Cause I dunno who's gonna replace Mike if he goes missing…"

"Well, I'm sure we all know whose fault this was," said Riley, turning to Robbie. "Robbie, if you weren't so damn _stupid _about Emily and weren't such a freaking alpha male with an ego the size of Brazil, then this would never have happened!"

"What?" said Robbie. "That's stupid! Come on Riley, you're my sister, the least you can do is back me up!"

"Ain't gonna happen brother," said Riley. "Not until you admit that you were wrong."

"Well like I said before, how far is fighting gonna get us?" asked Peter.

"Peter's right," said Micky. "For once. All we can do is wait, I guess, and not argue about who's right or wrong." Of course they were all pretty scared, Robbie as well, no matter how he didn't want to admit it.

_With Raul:_

"She _what?" _yelled Gary in a rage.

"I'm sorry, I had no control over it," said Raul. "She just ran; I barely saw her go."

"Well, you'd better get her back," snarled Gary. "Because it'll be your head if you don't!"

"She will be found," said Raul. "Mike went after her—the silly man's in love with her. He'll stop at nothing to find her, I'm sure of it."

"I don't know what kind of a man would fall on love with a girl like her," said Gary, looking like he had something unpleasant under his nose. "But as long as she is found, that is the only thing that matters."

"You will not be disappointed sir," said Raul.

"I had better not be," said Gary before fading away. Raul was left standing along, wondering what Gary would do to him if Emily was not found.

_With Emily:_

Emily had stopped running now; she knew she was far enough away. She had no clue where she was, but she didn't care. She'd find a way off this god damned island if it killed her. She didn't want to be there any longer; she didn't want to see her uncle, she didn't want to die, and she didn't want to deal with whatever was going on with Mike.

She snuck around a little to find somewhere where it may be warmer, although she knew it was next to impossible. Once she'd find a place, she would try to get back home…if she was able to stop a storm with her flute, she could damn well get back home with it. After a few minutes of searching in the freezing air, she found a small cave that would be able to get her out of the snow. She crawled inside, sat on the cold stone floor and took out her flute.

The freezing temperatures made the silver very cold to the touch. Emily brought it up to her lips and blew warm air through it without making a note to warm it up. She thought about what she would need to play in order to get her home. After much thought, she decided on a melody. Just as long as she thought about what she wanted, it'd happen anyway; that was what happened with the storm.

She closed her eyes and brought her flute shakily up. She was going to do it. She was going to be free soon. Thinking of home, she started to play.

No sooner than she started, however, there was a deafening crash above her. Determined to go home, she kept playing, but soon the crashing became louder and louder, and piles of rocks came raining down in front of the cave, closing her inside.

It was dark now, and even more cold. Emily was frightened and alone, and possible stranded forever. Trembling, she sat back on a wall and hugged herself. She clutched at her head and realized that she was still wearing Mike's hat. She took it off, held it in her hands, and wept into it, wondering how much more stupid she could have gotten.

_With Mike:_

Mike heard the stones fall, and without a thought, dashed off in that direction. He didn't hear a person yell, but he knew that it had to be Emily—she was the only other person out there, unless the others decided to follow him when he ran. "Emily!" Mike yelled as he ran. "Emily, where are you? Are you alright?"

"Mike, Mike, is that you?" came a muffled voice. Mike wheeled around wildly and saw a pile of rocks.

"Emily!" Mike yelped as he rushed to the rocks. "Emily, it's me, it's Mike, are you in there?"

"Yeah, I'm trapped!" called Emily from within. "I was sitting down in the cave and I started to play my flute and the rocks just collapsed down!"

"Are you hurt?" asked Mike, kneeling down in front.

"No, just stuck," came Emily's voice, sounding very panicked. "It's so cold in here."

"Hold on Em, I'll get you out," said Mike. "Can you move any of the rocks?"

"I'm scared to!" said Emily. "They might come down on me!"

"Listen to me Emily, get back as far as you can!" Mike called past the rocks. "Let me know when you're back, against the wall."

There was a moment of silence as Mike hoped that Emily was shifting back, and then she called, "Okay, I'm back! Now what?"

"I'm gonna try to move some of these rocks," Mike called. "Hear me?"

"I hear you!" said Emily.

"Okay Emily, stay back there, I'm gonna start moving rocks!" said Mike. His hands shook as he reached for the first one. What if they all fell in and crushed Emily? He couldn't bear to even think about it. He touched the cold stone and tried to move it, but it wouldn't budge. He repositioned his grip and tried again. It moved slightly, and ever so carefully, Mike twisted and pulled on the rock until it came loose. Light flooded the cave once Mike threw the stone into the snow and he could clearly see a scared, shaking, shivering Emily pressed up against the cave wall.

"Emily, can you see me?" Mike asked into the hole.

"Yeah, I can," said Emily, looking right at him. "Should I move some?"

"No, stay right where you are," said Mike. "If you get any closer you can risk getting yourself hurt. Watch out—I'm gonna move some more." Emily nodded and stayed where she was. She had learned the valuable lesson of listening to Mike a while ago. Mike took a grip on another rock and pulled. There was a scream from Emily and more rocks tumbled down.

"Emily!" Mike yelled. "Emily, can you hear me?"

"Yeah!" said Emily. "More rocks fell, I'm cornered!"

"Are you hurt?" asked Mike.

"One fell on my leg!" said Emily. "I think it's broken!"

"Oh man, hang on in there Emily!" said Mike. "I—I'm gonna dig you out, I'll be more careful this time." Mike took the new layer of rocks off, tossing them feverishly to the side, hoping that no more would fall.

"Hurry Mike!" called Emily, very much in pain.

"I'm going as fast as I can Em," said Mike, shoving aside more rocks. He pulled enough away to be able to see Emily again. Her face was scrunched up in pain and she was clutching her leg which had a pile of rocks on it. There was dirt on her face, and Mike was pretty sure he caught the metallic scent of blood, probably from her leg. "Hold on just a little longer," said Mike. "I'm almost there, I can see you." The hole was almost large enough for her to crawl through, but just barely, and with her leg broken, Mike would need to fit inside too to drag her out.

With only a few more stones left, Mike was getting uneasy. Things had been going smoothly since the last cave-in, but how much longer would it be until something bad happened again? Taking a deep breath, Mike got rid of the last few stones that were blocking the way. At last, the hole was large enough for Mike to get through and get Emily out of there and back to camp.

"Emily, I'm coming in," said Mike, crawling inside the cave. "How's your leg."

"Definitely broken," said Emily, leaning over to try and take the rocks off of it.

"Let me," said Mike, stopping her. He slowly and carefully lifted up the rocks that were pinning Emily's leg down. Her skirt was ripped and dirtied with dust and blood. Her leg was visible through it, and was protruding at an odd angle and was black and blue all over. "So, I take it you can't stand," said Mike. "I'm gonna help you out of here."

"Well, I'd rather hope you would," said Emily, wincing in pain as Mike scooped her up.

"Why wouldn't I?" Mike asked, taking her out of the cave and back into the snow. The looked at each other for a brief moment, and Mike suddenly broke and held her close, digging his hands in her hair. "Oh Emily, I'm so sorry…I'm just glad you're safe."

"I shouldn't have run away," said Emily. "I could have died…it was stupid."

"Why in the world were you playing that flute in a cave though?" asked Mike.

"I—I was trying to get back to LA," said Emily, defeated. "I was just all kinds of angry and confused…I'm sorry too, I didn't know what was going on or what to do."

"Well let's get you back," said Mike, scooping Emily up into his arms so she wouldn't have to put weight on her leg. "We'll fix you up and talk about this later."

"You mean…you're not mad?" asked Emily, sounding like a confused child.

"I'm very disappointed in you and you worried me a lot for running away," said Mike. "But no, I'm not mad. It would be silly for me to be mad about this. It was kind of my fault."

"No it wasn't," said Emily, wincing in pain again. "I should have listened to you about Robbie…it wasn't fair to you Mike."

"Look Emily, let's just focus on getting you back and safe," said Mike. "We need to figure out how to fix your leg. Maybe one of the others has something." Mike carried Emily further down. It occurred to him that he really didn't know how to get back to the site, but what also occurred to him were the series of agitated footprints that had not yet gotten blown out of the snow, so he just followed those. Soon enough, the pair arrived back at the campsite, where the whole group was still there, looking anxious, but relieved upon seeing them return.

"Mike, Emily, you're back!" said Peter, leaping up in joy.

"What's wrong with your leg Emily?" asked Davy.

"She was hiding in a cave and some rocks fell," said Mike. "Some of them fell on her leg when I was trying to move them. It's broken."

"Lay her down on this," said Raul, looking like the most relieved of all. He brought forward a large, fluffy blanket and Mike gently set Emily down on it, taking care that her leg remained straight.

"Is she gonna be okay?" asked Micky, chewing on his fingers nervously.

"I hope so," said Mike.

"Shit man…" said Robbie, looking pale and wan.

"I _think _Robbie has something to say to you Mike," said Riley, elbowing her brother in the gut.

Robbie gave Riley a pleading look, but Riley returned it with a disapproving scowl. He sighed and turned to look at Mike, who was sitting beside Emily. "Mike…I'm sorry," he finally said. "Look, I was doing some really stupid stuff."

"And?" asked Riley with raised eyebrows, anticipating Robbie to say more.

"And it was all my fault," said Robbie. "I should have shut up before I set you off."

"Ya know Robbie, it may be a little too late for an apology," said Mike. "Emily's hurt really bad and she could have gotten herself killed. I dunno what you would have said if _that _had happened. You're arrogant, selfish, and think you can get just about anything you want if you sweet-talk to it enough. What you said to Emily and to me is highly unacceptable…but…I accept your apology."

"Well, I guess that covers everything," said Robbie. The two were silent for a minute, and then they both leapt at each other. Everyone else thought they were going to start fighting again, but what really happened was Robbie and Mike giving each other a big man-hug right there in the snow. The group looked on with dumbfounded looks, but they were happy nevertheless.

"Men can be so strange…" croaked Emily from her blanket.

"Guys," said Davy. "As much as I love to see a good hug, Emily needs to be helped."

"How are we gonna help her?" asked Peter. "There are no hospitals out here or anything."

"Well, we have an enchanted flute," said Mike.

"Mike man, are you sure that's safe?" asked Micky. "You made that flower fly, but what about healing a person? I bet that's hard to do."

"If I really want it, it'll happen," said Mike, looking straight at Emily. He knew the reason it didn't work when she tried to play herself back home was because she really didn't want to leave in the first place. "That's how Emily was able to stop the storm. If she could stop a storm, I can mend a broken leg. Emily, do you trust me?"

"Yes," said Emily, almost right away. "I do."

"Okay," said Mike, taking the flute from her hand. He gingerly moved her skirt away, revealing her horribly injured leg. Gasps and groans arose from the others and Mike himself flinched a little, although he saw it before. "I guess I'm doing this then…" He took a deep breath put the freezing cold flute to his lips, and blew. Like the last time, his notes weren't as high and clear as when Emily played, but as sound was a sound in this case. His fingers shook as he went on and the group watched and listened anxiously. Mike thought as hard as he could for his love for Emily and how much he wanted her to get better; how horrible it was to see her hurt.

Little by little, he saw her leg start to get less and less bruised. Spurred on by the sight, Mike played even more and thought harder. It still stuck out at a strange angle, but soon Emily's leg was back to its normal color. Smiles and sounds of approval and awe arose from the rest of the group. Emily's leg started to drag through the snow and soon there was a popping sound of the bone being put back together. She was healed.

Mike put the flute down. "Emily…how do you feel?" he asked.

"The pain's gone," said Emily. "It looks normal…Mike, help me stand."

Mike rushed to do so eagerly. He took Emily's hand and helped her up off of the blanket. She teetered for a little bit, but Mike let her go slowly and steadily, and Emily was standing without any help at all.

"You…you did it…" said Raul, pale again with surprise.

"I did…didn't I?" said Mike with the same surprise all over his voice.

"Well this certainly is a landmark achievement," said Peter, nodding in approval. "Great job Mike!"

"Thanks…" said Mike mistily, still not believing what he had done.

"So…uh…Mike," said Emily. "There's something I have to ask you."

"Ask away," said Mike.

"What you said before…when you were all angry," said Emily. "About…loving me. Was—was that true?"

"Every word, Emily," said Mike, his heart racing. He wasn't prepared for her to be asking at all, but he was glad she was anyway.

"Oh, well okay, I guess," said Emily. Mike was just about to ask her what that meant when she suddenly jumped forward and attacked him with a very spontaneous but deep kiss. Mike nearly lost his footing, but he grabbed onto her, careful not to have them both tumble into the snow. Emily broke the kiss and looked at Mike.

"Well then," said Mike, dizzy. "That was…nice."

"Mike, I love you too," said Emily.

"I guess we can say that the day turned out much better than it was expected," said Mike, right before dipping her triumphantly and kissing her again.

"Oh, true love at last!" said Micky dramatically. "It makes me so happy!"

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" said Davy. "Hey, Riley, come over here!" Riley came over and the two of them had their own little moment.

"You know Micky," said Peter. "All of this romance has gotten me thinking."

"Oh yeah?" said Micky. "About what?"

"I actually need to start meeting girls if I want a relationship instead of crying over pictures in magazines," said Peter. Micky just rolled his eyes and laughed. Peter always had a true gem to say by the end of the day, but of course nothing could overshadow Mike and Emily holding hands in the snow.


	18. Chapter 18

Gary stormed down to the basement to give Al a piece of his mind. Raul had contacted him earlier, happy that Emily was returned to them, but of course he had to receive bad news with the good news that came so soon before. Mike, the guitar player, the mindless rock and roll musician who had somehow, by some fluke, manage to be able to make the flute work a very feeble amount of magic before, had healed Emily's broken leg with the music. How was this possible? It was completely ridiculous!

"You!" Gary yelled, throwing open the door to the basement and marching in. "You owe me yet _another _explanation!"

"Geez, what did I do this time?" asked Al, shielding his face from the incoming light in the dark room. "Oh, and by the way, would you mind letting me know when you're about to come storming on down here? I'm old, I'm due for a heart attack any minute man."

"Trust me, I would welcome that," sneered Gary.

"So?" asked Al. "What happened this time? Emily stop another storm? Cause that's awesome."

"Don't give me your smart mouth old man!" snapped Gary. "Mike used the flute again!"

"Oh, did he?" said Al. "Good for him, hey, when I get out of there, I can give him some free lessons for being such a natural! What did he do, jump a car?"

"He healed Emily's broken leg," brooded Gary. "How he was able to, I don't know…but he did, and that's why I need you to tell me what I need to know!"

"Man, I told you before," said Al. "The magic is in the flute, not the Rowe family. Sure, I made it for all you people, but if someone not in the family uses it, it doesn't know a difference! How much more do you want?"

"Everything!" said Gary. "I need to know everything, and I can tell you're holding back on me!"

Al laughed. "There's nothing else to tell!" he said. "Now leave me please, I was trying to figure out how long I'd need to grow my nails out to be able to scrape out of this miserable place."

"Fine, have it your way," said Gary. "I bet having the girl here will change your mind about telling me your secrets." With that, he turned on heel and stomped out of the basement, slamming the door behind him.

Al sat there with a slight grin on his face. Yes, at least Mike had discovered the secret of the flute, and if he did, he would hopefully tell Emily. Willpower. That was the real power behind the flute, but only if the thing you wanted was good and just. Mike fixing Emily's leg and Emily stopping the storm were great examples. These two young people were on their way to discovering something great, and it was only a matter of time before they used it to destroy Gary and his plans.

_Back at the campsite:_

Everyone had managed to cram into the large tent and be able to fall asleep just fine. Emily, of course, wasn't inside, but sitting right outside with the flute. Mike wasn't asleep yet, but he was laying down, his eyes closed, and just about to drift off when he started to feel some snow being thrown on him from the open tent flap. He rolled over onto his back and groaned, "_Emily…"_ without opening his eyes.

"Sorry!" said Emily in a hushed whisper from outside the tent. The playing stopped, and Mike sat up and walked outside to where Emily was sitting in the snow cross-legged and studying the flute.

"What are you doing out here?" asked Mike, sitting beside her. "It's late and we still have a few days to travel."

"I know," said Emily. "It's just…this flute. I dunno, I just feel like I've been using it wrong for all these years."

"Well, what do you mean?" asked Mike. "You've been playing it and things have been happening."

"Yeah, but maybe not the right things," said Emily. "Mike, when I stopped that storm, I don't know how I did it…it just sort of happened, and it was scary. But when I tried to make a lot of magic happen again when I tried to go home earlier, the complete opposite happened. I thought really hard about it the same way I did the storm, but I don't know. How were you able to heal my leg?"

"I dunno," said Mike. "I guess I just wanted to do it. Emily—did you _really _want to go back home?"

"I thought I did," said Emily, clicking the keys on the flute. "But I'm glad I didn't leave now."

"Well, maybe you didn't want to leave bad enough," said Mike. "You thought you did because you were angry, and anger blurs all of the feelings you can have about anything. The reason you didn't go home is because the flute knew that you didn't want to."

"You know Mike, that actually makes sense," said Emily.

"You made the storm stop because you wanted it gone," said Mike. "I healed your leg because I wanted that to happen too."

"Wow…" said Emily. "This sure is enlightening."

"Sure is," said Mike. "Now come on Em, you gotta get some sleep."

"I'll be in in just a few minutes," said Emily. She stared at the flute some more, still trying to comprehend the power that was greater than she imagined. It was almost as if it was alive and thinking. It knew what she, or anyone else who played it, wanted. Mike gave her a kiss on the cheek before getting up and going back into the tent. He was glad all the scare from yesterday was over and that the journey was back on course. He was afraid for Emily, of course, but more afraid for what would happen even if they did survive this.

He crawled back in the tent to find Peter, Micky, and Davy all awake. "What's wrong Mike?" asked Peter sleepily.

"Nothing Peter, it's fine, go back to sleep," said Mike.

"Where's Emily?" asked Micky.

"Outside," said Mike. "She's coming back in soon, it's cool."

"Uh…Mike, not to alarm you or anything, but I think she's walking somewhere," said Davy.

"What the hell?" said Mike, looking outside. Sure enough, there was the silhouette of Emily standing up and on the move. "Dammit," Mike muttered as he got up and ready to leave the tent.

"Mike, where are you going?" asked Davy as the others followed Mike out.

"I ain't gonna lose her again," said Mike. "I just wanna see where she's going, okay?"

"Well, if that's the case, then we're going with you," said Micky once they were all out of the tent.

"I guess I can't really say no to that," said Mike, rolling his eyes. Emily was still walking into the distance, looking like she was in some sort of trance. Her eyes were facing forward and she glided about the snow.

"Where do you suppose she's headed?" whispered Peter as the guys followed her through the mountaintop.

"I don't know, but this is freaking me out," said Davy. "It's so dark out here, I can't see a bloody thing!"

"Hang on guys, quit it, it looks like there's something up there," said Mike. Sure enough, there was. In the distance, where Emily was walking ghostlike over to, was a small cottage. It looked deserted and there were no lights inside. Emily stopped when she got up to the door and just stood there like a statue. The guys caught up to her and Mike put a hand on her shoulder. At his touch, Emily jumped and wheeled around wildly.

"Oh…it's you guys," said Emily. "Sorry…"

"Emily, what is this place?" asked Davy.

"I—I don't know," said Emily. "I was just walking…it seemed like I knew where I was going, and I ended up here, and I felt Mike's hand and I felt like I was being snapped out of a trance or something."

"I tell ya, you sure looked like something spooky," said Mike. "Well, we're here…why don't we see what's inside?"

"Mike, I don't think that's a very good idea," said Peter, shaking and wide-eyed.

"Why not?" asked Mike.

"That place looks like it could be filled with monsters, and ghouls, and vampires, and werewolves, and goblins, and mummies, and—" said Peter before Mike cut him off.

"Come on Pete, there's no such thing as any of that stuff," said Mike. "I wanna see what's in here, and I'm sure Emily does too." He looked at Emily. "You do, right?"

"I suppose I should, seeing as we walked all the way over here," said Emily. "Let's have a look."

"It's okay Peter, we're right behind you," said Micky.

"Why aren't you in front of me?" asked Peter as Mike opened the creaky door open and they all walked inside.

"Because that's where all the danger is man," said Micky, patting Peter on the back.

"I'm really starting to get a bad feeling about this place," said Davy as they stepped into the dark, deserted room. There were windows, but that would have been the only source of light if the sun were out, which it wasn't. They couldn't see anything, and Mike saw that as a problem.

"Hey, Emily, you want some light?" asked Mike.

"Do I ever," said Emily.

"Well, play one up," said Mike. The flute sounded out of the dark, and almost as fast as Emily started to play, a lit torch appeared on the wall of the one-roomed cottage.

"Damn," said Micky. "That was fast."

"I _really _wanted a light," said Emily, who everyone now could see looked terrified. Now that the torch lit the room, everyone could see clearly where they were. It looked like someone's work room, but most of the work was gone for years and years. There were tools on a long wooden table in the middle of the place, and a wooden chair. There were empty shelves on the walls, and a dusty old bookshelf with piles of paper.

"Why would a place like this be all the way out here?" asked Davy, approaching the table to look at the tools. "Who'd be working, and on what?"

"It's curious," said Emily. "Do you suppose someone used to live up here?"

"Doesn't look like a house," said Micky. "Mike, what do you think?"

"It looks like an old workshop," said Mike. "Davy, what do you see over there?"

"Little screws and stuff," said Davy. "And…hey, come look at this, will ya?"

"Whatcha find Davy?" asked Peter as they all came over.

"This," said Davy, holding up small circular pieces of silver. "Emily, lemme see your flute." Emily handed the flute over to Davy and he examined the pieces he found with the flute. "Just as I thought," said Davy. "Emily, these are flute keys!"

"Wow, you're right," said Emily, taking her flute back. "This is all getting stranger."

"What do you suppose all these pieces of paper are?" asked Peter, going over to the bookshelf.

"Careful over there Peter," said Mike. "The wood may be rotted."

"Don't worry Mike, I'll be careful," said Peter. He reached over to the paper stack and picked the first sheet off of the pile. He blew a cloud of dust off of it and looked at it. "Hey! Guys, come look, it's a sheet of music!" The rest of them rushed over to see what Peter had found.

"Wow, this is crazy!" said Emily. "Are the other sheets music too?"

"Yeah, all of them, it seems like," said Mike. "This was a real good find Peter."

"My mother always told me I was good at finding things!" said Peter proudly.

"What do you think this means?" asked Emily

"Whoever worked here was a musician," said Davy. "He—"

"Or she!" Emily cut in.

"—obviously knew a lot about instruments to be able to do repairs too," said Davy, ignoring Emily's interjection. "Do you reckon these pieces are original compositions?"

"Quite possibly," said Mike. "Where would a person buy music up here?"

"I wanna find out who this person was," said Micky. He walked over to the desk and opened a drawer. "Something may be in here…anything." He dug and dug through the desk drawer, showing things aside and piling them up on the desk.

"Find anything interesting in there?" asked Mike, still looking through the music.

"I'll let you know when I—hang on—guys, come quick, I think I found something!" said Micky.

"What is it Micky?" asked Peter as everyone came over.

"Check it out guys," said Micky. He pulled out from the drawer a small portrait, framed in brass and covered by cracked glass. It was obviously very old; it was covered with dust. Micky brushed some of it off and laid it down on the desk. "Does this guy look familiar to you?" It was a black and white photograph, obviously from a very early time, maybe the mid-1800s. In the picture was a young man, looking to be in his twenties. He had a headful of curly hair. Although it was hard to tell what the color may have been because of the black and white, it looked fair and blond. He had delicate features, a very nice-looking man. He didn't smile as he posed for his photograph, he just sat there. Mike held the picture up to the light from the torch and saw that the young man in the photo was holding something.

Mike took a closer look and saw that he was holding a flute. And it wasn't just any flute either; it had the same markings on it that Emily's enchanted flute did; the flute that was passed down her family. "Emily, come look at this," said Mike.  
Emily walked over. "What is it Mike?" she asked.

"He's holding your flute," said Mike. Emily looked at the flute she was holding, and then again at the photograph.

"Take the picture out of the frame," said Emily. "There may be something written on the back of it."

Mike nodded and set the picture face-down on the desk. Everyone looked on as Mike carefully opened the fragile frame and slid the photograph out of it. He blew yet more dust off of it and held it up to the light,

"Is there anything written on it?" asked Davy.

"Yeah, there's something," said Mike, excited. "It says, '_Charles Rowe, 1837, photographed by his dear friend, Alexander Jules.'_."

Emily's eyes grew wide. "Charles Rowe?" she asked in wonder.

"Yeah, you know him?" asked Mike.

"Know him?" said Emily, smiling hugely. "Mike, he's my great-grandfather! I'm Emily Rowe, and that _is _the family flute in the picture! I mean, I never got to meet the guy, but still…"

"I thought he looked familiar," said Micky. "Hey, what are the odds, right?"

"You think this was his workshop?" asked Peter.

"No, not his," said Emily. "I also heard about his buddy Alexander. He wasn't just a photographer back in the day, he was a musician and an instrument builder. I never met him either, but I remember my grandfather used to tell me stories about him when he would come over. Alexander made the flute for my great-grandfather."

"You mean he put the magic in it?" asked Mike.

"Well yeah," said Emily. "I can't believe this…the flute had to be made on this island! Guys, do you think this is why the flute brought us here in the first place?"

"It would make sense," said Davy. "Maybe we were supposed to find something."

"And find something we did," said Mike. "Do you think we should bring some of that music back with us? Maybe it could help you Emily."

"Probably a good idea," said Emily. "I just dunno what to bring."

"Just a handful," said Micky. "Maybe it could help us get off this place."

"It would be nice," said Emily. "But I'm anxious about finding out more…as much as I hate to admit it, maybe going to see Uncle Gary wouldn't be such a bad idea…maybe it could help me learn more about this."

"Let's hope," said Mike. He looked into Emily's eyes and saw a longing he hadn't seen before in them. A longing to find out just who she was and what kind of power and mystery she was dealing with here. She had come so far from being that simple-minded girl he had saved from being arrested on the streets.

"Come on, let's take some music and get out of here," said Davy. "This is freaky."

"We'll be right behind you guys," said Mike. Peter, Davy, and Micky made their way out with some of the music, but Mike and Emily stayed. "You feeling okay Em?"

"I'm fine," said Emily. "Just…all of this is really making me think…who am I?"

"You're Emily Rowe, you said it yourself," said Mike. "You are the owner of a very special flute, a sweet and caring girl, and someone I love. We'll figure all this out, I know we will."

"I know," said Emily. "It's just that—you think you have a normal enough life and background, and now all of this. There's a reason we're all on this island, and I intent to figure it out."

"And we will," said Mike. He leaned down and kissed her, and her arms sprung up to wrap around him. Gone were the worries and anxious feelings of before, only to be replaced with love and comfort. They parted and looked into each other's eyes. "Come on Em, let's get out of here and get some sleep," said Mike.

"Okay," said Emily. As they were leaving, Emily snatched up the photo of Charles Rowe and carefully put it in her pocket. Although she was in the process of finding herself in life and love, she had never felt so lost in her whole life.


	19. Chapter 19

"Where were you all!" Riley shrieked as the group came up to the tent. Her, along with Robbie and Raul, were all standing around, and had been frantically searching for the others. Riley ran up to Davy and embraced him. "We were so worried about all of you!"

"Yeah, Riley woke up and saw you all weren't here," said Robbie.

"I'm sorry, my fault, again," said Emily. "I was wandering off and the guys followed me to make sure I wasn't gonna get in any more trouble."

"Where did you go?" asked Raul.

Mike wondered if he should tell Raul. He knew that if it had something to do with the flute, he would probably go right on and tell Gary about it, and that would probably endanger the group more, especially Emily. Mike looked at the guys and Emily for the OK to say something, but he only took notice of Emily's stout nod. Taking that as positive, Mike turned to Riley, Robbie, and Raul, and spoke.

"We found someone's old cottage," he said. "A workshop, if you will."

"And you all just decided to go exploring?" asked Robbie suavely.

"Yes, we did," said Mike. Although he and Robbie had made up and Robbie was trying his best to not give Emily those smoldering looks and those stupid little innuendoes, he still rubbed Mike the wrong way at times. "We found a lot of interesting stuff."

"Like what?" asked Raul, not doing very well at feigning the innocent curiosity in his voice. Mike knew that Raul knew about the workshop, but he would continue to speak anyway; they might learn something.

"Well, for one, it looked very much to be somewhere where a musician worked, a long time ago," said Mike.

"Yeah, we found sheet music, flute keys, a lot!" said Peter, brandishing a couple sheets of music they had taken from the workshop.

"Anything else?" asked Raul.

"This," said Emily. "We found this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the photograph of her great-grandfather. Raul's eyes grew wide when he saw it.

"Who's that?" asked Riley, getting a closer look.

"Charles Rowe, my great-grandfather," said Emily. "See, here's the flute! He was the first one in the family to have it."

"Well I'll be," said Robbie. "You guys made quite a discovery! How'd you find the place?"

"Emily was just kinda walking, and we followed her," said Davy. "It was really spooky, actually."

"How far away is it from here?" asked Raul urgently.

"Not too far," said Mike. "Relax yourself Raul, it's like you've seen a ghost or something."

"We can't go looking for anything right now anyway," said Robbie. "What we all need is sleep, sleep, and more sleep. I think everyone here agrees?"

"Yes s_ir!" _said Micky. "I really do think we've had enough excitement for one night."

"Alright then, let's all of us get back in the tent and get to sleep," said Robbie. "We still have a lot farther to go." Everyone followed him back into the large tent, including Emily; Mike made sure of that.

"Maybe on our journey tomorrow we can stop inside that workshop and have a look around?" asked Raul.

Before anyone else could answer, Mike sharply replied with, "No, that'll only slow us down, and we already saw what we needed to see in there. We have to keep moving, you say it yourself."

"Fine," said Raul. He rolled over and went to sleep, and Mike knew that he was uneasy about the find the others had made that night. That could either be very good, or very bad. Mike decided to ignore his thoughts however. He just wanted to get some rest and start fresh in the morning; sleep was the only thing to keep him sane right now.

"Mike," Emily whispered to him before sleep took over.

"Yeah Emily?" Mike replied.

Emily was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what to say as if she didn't know what she wanted to say when she called Mike. "G—goodnight," she ended up saying in the end.

"Goodnight Emily," said Mike. He was sure there would be more to say in the morning anyway.

Morning did come, and the company was soon packed and ready to leave the site. "Glad that day's over," said Riley as she kicked aside the used firewood. "No more fighting or running off please?"

"Just as long as everyone keeps their tempers in check," said Micky, eyeing Mike, who kicked snow at him. "Hey, temper!"

"Better watch it Mick or you'll be an exception," said Mike.

"Peter, hold up one of those sheets, will ya?" asked Emily as they walked, getting her flute ready. "I wanna see something."

"Emily, is that a good idea right now?" asked Mike as Peter searched through the handful of sheets of music he was holding.

"It'll be fine Mike," said Emily. "Whatcha got Peter?"

"How about this one?" asked Peter, holding up a sheet that was nearly black with sixteenth notes.

"Uh…how about a nice easy one?" said Emily. "I can't sightread that…plus there's no telling what that'll do if I play it—right _or _wrong."

"Yeah, you're right, sorry," said Peter, searching through the music some more.

"How are you gonna know what piece of music does what?" asked Davy. "Are there titles on em?"

"Nope, not from what I see," said Peter. "Yeah Emily, how are you gonna know?"

"Well, usually the more simple the music is, the smaller the thing that happens," said Emily "Pete, what about that one there?"

"This?" asked Peter, pulling out the very simple and easy-looking piece. "Yeah, this one looks safe, why don't you try it out?"

Emily nodded and started to play it. It was easy to read; the register was mid-range and there were no weird fingerings or runs. As she played, a small wind picked up, blowing the few leaves that were left on the nearby trees. Intrigued, Emily kept playing, until finally all of the sheet music Peter was holding blew loose and hit Mike smack in the face.

"Sorry Mike!" Emily, swooping down to help pick up the sheets.

"No matter," said Mike, a little bothered, but not too much. "At least you know what that one does now."

"Yeah, you're right," said Emily.

"Hey, this one looks cool," said Micky, holding out another sheet. "Why don't you see what this one does?" Emily looked it over a little bit; it was easy-looking like the other one, so it couldn't be bad at all. She started to play it, and sure enough a rather large amount of snow came up off the ground like an ocean wave and fell right on top of Mike.

"Maybe you should stop," said Davy, holding back laughs.

"I dunno," said Robbie. "I'm kind of wondering what else can fall on Mike!"

"Yeah, you would," said Mike, brushing off the title wave of snow.

"Sorry," said Emily bashfully, helping him out. "If it makes you feel any better I had no clue what was going to happen!"

"No, actually, that doesn't make me feel any better," said Mike. "But thank you for trying."

"Well, I think that's enough of that for now," said Micky.

"I'll have to take a look at some of these when we stop somewhere," said Emily. "Though…maybe I should wait. There are some pretty tough-looking ones in there that could destroy things…"

"I'd tend to agree with that," said Mike, dumping snow out of his hat. "Hey Raul, how much longer?"

"Must you boys keep asking?" said Raul, starting to sound impatient. "We'll get there when we _get there." _

"I'm tired and hungry," whined Peter. "We've barely had anything to eat all this time we've been out here!"

"Maybe if you all weren't slinking around last night to that stupid little workshop, then you wouldn't be tired!" Raul snapped. It was unlike him to lose his cool like that. In reality, he was nervous. They had found out secrets of the flute…he had forgotten that Alexander Jules' workshop was up there. He hadn't told Gary yet, but he knew he should. He'd just have to find the time to sneak off and talk to him. He would also ask him how in the world to get them to stop complaining about walking like small children. He then realized that if he didn't stop now, he would never be able to. "I'll be right back," he said. "Stay put." Damn it, he felt like the frazzled single father of all these kids on a road trip, he thought as he went off into the distance.

"What do you think he's asking that sicko Gary now?" asked Davy.

"I don't know, but he looks stressed," said Riley.

"I sure hope it's not about what we found in the workshop," said Emily. "But something in my gut tells me it is."

Of course, Emily was right on the money, and Riley too. Raul was stressed, fed-up, and a little nervous about the findings in the workshop. As usual, he waited until he was far enough away, and then summoned Gary. "Well now," said Gary. "I was waiting to hear from you. Is everything well?"

"We are making progress," said Raul. "But there is something of a new development I must speak to you about."

"And what may that be?" asked Gary.

"The boys and the girl seem to have stumbled upon Al's old workshop," said Raul. "I had forgotten it was here in the mountains."

"Yes…as much as I'd hate to admit it, I did see this happening," said Gary, sighing. "How were they able to find it? Where is it hidden?"

"The boys followed Emily," said Raul. "I do not know how she knew where it was. We have been walking, and it does not seem that we have passed it yet."

"I see," said Gary, stroking his chin. "No matter…do you know of any secrets they discovered?"

"They found music, and lots of it," said Raul. "Emily was playing some of it earlier. Simple stuff, like starting wind. But there's a lot of more challenging stuff in there than that. They have their hands on powerful magic."

"I see," said Gary. "Al's original spells he wrote for my grandfather…and they have them?"

"Some of them," said Raul.

"I wonder if they have the one I want," said Gary. "The all-powerful spell."

"What would it look like?" asked Raul.

"Heavens, I have no idea," said Gary. "Possibly the hardest piece of music you've ever seen."

"I do not know much in the ways of music," said Raul. "But perhaps I could be a decent judge on the matter."

"It is highly doubtful that Al would let a work of that power be floating around in public for anyone to find however," said Gary. "If you find them in possession of something like that, contact me at once."

"I will sir," said Raul. "Also sir, another thing."

"What is it, Raul?" asked Gary.

"These boys…the girls, not so much…they're driving me crazy," said Raul. "Is there perchance a place to stop and stay a while here in these mountains? I would think not, but I'm desperate."

Gary chuckled. "Yes, I could see how those boys would be a handful," said Gary. "And no, I am not disappointed with you. It would take a complete saint to deal with them and stay sane. And there is a place you can go—if you walk a little farther down west, there is a small inn called 'The White Mountain'. Go in there, and I will have people there. You will stay a night to retain the group's trust, and the second day you are there, my people will slip something into their drinks, rendering them unconscious. Then they will be brought to my house."

"Sir, that is a fantastic plan," said Raul. "They're just complaining to the point of…I just want to…"

"I understand," said Gary. "Go, be on your way, and let me know when you arrive."

"Yes sir," said Raul, and Gary disappeared. Breathing a sigh of relief, Raul returned to the group.

"What's going on, Raul?" asked Mike.

"Come, follow me, we have to continue west," said Raul. "There is an inn there and we will be able to stay for a day or two."

"Well I'll be," said Robbie. "Where'd ya find out about this place?"

"I saw a sign," said Raul.

"Really? I didn't see any—" said Peter, but Davy gave him a kick in the shin before he could speak more.

"Where is this place?" asked Davy.

"Just follow me," said Raul. "I'll get you there."

"Do we have a choice?" said Micky. "Come on guys, let's follow the glorified tour-guide." Raul groaned and kept walking. The more he let those stupid boys get to him, the longer the rest of the trip would be. The inn wasn't that far off, and once they go there, there would be only two more days of him having to deal with them.

"Maybe you could look at some of the music there?" asked Peter to Emily.

"I don't wanna owe the inn any money in damages," said Emily. "And besides, who knows what else will land on Mike's head?"

"I tell ya, I ain't itching to find out," said Mike. "But an inn? That sounds like something nice."

"Who knows?" said Emily. She leaned in close to Mike to whisper in his ear. "We may just get out own room." With that she walked off, leaving Mike a very happy man. Oh boy, an inn may be just the place. That big tent was horrible because it was only one room (well, not exactly a room). Sure, Mike had other things on his mind than the activities that went on between him and Emily on the ship, but he was still a man with needs. All of that pent-up stress from this adventure had to be let out somehow!

"Hey mate, what the hell did she say to you?" asked Davy. "I haven't seen you smile that big since you got your favorite guitar!"

"It ain't nothin'," said Mike, not allowing Davy's questioning to dampen his spirits. "Hey, Raul, how far away did you say this place was?"

"Not too far," said Raul. "Just follow me, what else can I tell you? There are no road signs out here!"

"Alright Raul, hold your horses," said Riley. "We all need some shuteye, and food…possibly some alcohol…"

"Not for you, Riley," said Robbie.

"Says who?" said Riley.

"Yeah, says who?" said Davy.

"You stay out of it," said Robbie, but Riley, seeing what the others did in times of being miffed at people out there, kicked snow at her brother and laughed. These…these…children. Raul would be free of them soon enough.

_At Gary's house:_

Gary sat, wondering. Where on earth did they find Al's old workshop? He had known it was on the island, that's why he put up his house in the mountains in the first place. He was so close now he could taste it…and that was what angered him so. But that group was headed right for him with all of those spells, and Al would be right there in the dungeons to decipher them for him when he got his hands on the flute.

All he could do now was to wait for Raul to get them to the inn. After that, it would be a piece of cake to get them to where he wanted them. Grinning, he lifted up a small hatch on his chair and pressed a small red button. His people would be at that inn waiting for the group to walk right into his trap.


	20. Chapter 20

"Are we there yet?" Peter moaned with all the eloquence of a five-year-old. Raul didn't dare answer for fear of losing his temper completely and pushing the whole group off of the mountainside.

"Come on Pete, you're annoying the poor guy," drawled Mike, very amused.

"I'm sorry!" said Peter. "It's just that we've been walking and walking, and I think I have blisters on my feet and I'm hungry and tired…"

"Stop complaining Peter, that inn's coming up soon," said Micky. "All of us could go for somewhere to rest for a while."

"You're telling me," said Davy. "You forget, I was the one who nearly fell of the mountain!"

"And you're never gonna let that one go, are ya?" asked Riley. "Emily got trapped in a cave and she's not bragging!"

"I don't see why I should brag about something like that," said Emily. "It was downright scary; I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemies."

"I think we should play a road game!" said Peter. "Let's see…hey! I've got it! I spy with my little eye, something…something…something white."

"That's the snow Peter," sighed Mike, exasperated.

"How did you know?" asked Peter, appalled.

"Because it's everywhere Peter," said Mike. "Look, if you're gonna play I-Spy, you gotta do it right! Let me give you an example—I spy, with my little eye, something…" Mike looked around for a bit and gave up. "You know what Pete, you win, the only thing out here is snow anyway."

"Come on Mike, it's not like you to give up so quickly!" said Emily. "I've got one! I spy, with my little eye, something green!"

"Yeah, yeah, lady, it's my hat, I know," said Mike. "I swear Emily, sometimes I think you love that hat more than me!"

"That's not true!" said Emily. "Though I did when I first met you, and that hat really is pretty neat…"

"Stop digging yourself a hole Em, you'll fall in," said Mike, giving her a playful yank of her hair. Davy made a sarcastic sick face and Mike laughed. Of course Davy deserved to make those faces every once in a while what with all of his wayward romances, Riley of course being one of them.

"Oh, come on Mike, you know you hated me," came Emily with the rebuttal. Mike wasn't really prepared for a response like that, but he let it pass anyway, because, well—she was right!

"None of that matters now," said Mike.

"Oh, well, isn't that the sappiest," said Robbie. "I'll tell ya what Mike, once we get to the inn you all can have all the mushy talk you want, but here and now—keep it quiet, none of us wanna hear it."

"Oh, shut up Robbie, you're just bitter," said Riley.

"I think she nipped that one right in the bud," said Micky, seeing Robbie's deflated expression.

"I'm his sister, I know everything," said Riley. "Hey, Raul, isn't that the inn up ahead?" Riley pointed to a pretty good-sized stone building with a brick roof off a few feet away with smoke pouring out of a chimney and a swinging sign with a painting of a mountain on it that read, "The White Mountain." Yes, that was the place.

"Yes, thank God," said Raul. "Okay, this is it. You all can stop your moaning and get some food and drink in you, and get the hell off to bed."

"My bedtime isn't till eleven!" exclaimed Peter.

"It's okay Peter, you can go to bed any time you want," said Mike.

"Really?" said Peter. "Gee, thanks Mike!"

"Any time Pete," said Mike. "Okay, so now that we're at this place, let's go inside and get something to eat; I'm sure we're all starving."

"Man, I can eat a whole horse if there was one," said Davy as they walked inside the inn.

"Yeah, I'll let you know if I find one, okay Davy?" said Micky. Walking into the inn, the group immediately warmed up. It was nice to walk on hard floors instead of the snow, and they were finally able to shed their coats. Mike even took his hat off and stuffed it in his pocket. He just wanted to feel actual air through his hair.

"Well 'ello there!" greeted the large, gruff bartender from the bar. "'ow may I be servin' you all today?"

"For now we would like a table," said Raul. "Some food and things to drink, and we would also like rooms for the night."

"I can give ya four rooms fer two," said the bartender. "'ow's that sound?"

"Perfect," said Raul. "You all, go sit someplace, I'll be right to you; I will pay for this."

"Oh, you're too kind," teased Mike. The rest of the group headed off to a large table while Raul stayed behind and handed the money to the bartender. After looking both ways, Raul spoke.

"Has Gary sent his men yet?" he asked.

A smile appeared on the bartender's face. "Yeah, they're 'ere, jus waitin' in the woodwork," he said. "So…those are the lunatics?"

"Yes," said Raul, exasperated. "Thankfully I won't have to room with any of them…I will see if I'm able to pull the siblings apart…I can't handle another minute with those boys, I just can't."

"Eh, they'll be gone soon," said the bartender. "Well, I'd get seated if I were you, don' wanna make it seem suspicious 'n all."

"You're right," said Raul. He walked over to the big table the group had found and sat down. "Have you decided on what you all wanted?"

"We just sat down," said Emily. "I have no clue. Personally I think I'd like something to drink."

"Whatcha wanna drink Em?" asked Mike.

"I dunno," said Emily. "Just…something cold."

"How bout a round of drinks, on me?" said Robbie. "I think we could all use a bit of alcohol to loosen us up a bit, what do you all say?"

"I say about time someone came up with a good idea!" said Davy.

"Okay then, it's settled," said Robbie. "Hey! Waiter! Get us a round over here!" The waiter walked off to get the drinks.

"Boy, I don't think I've had a cold drink since we left LA," said Micky. "Damn, do we deserve it!" If anyone deserves anything it's me, Raul thought, but he kept that thought to himself. The last thing he needed to do was let his anger out; they'd get thrown out in an instant, no matter how on his side Gary's men were.

"All right!" exclaimed Robbie as the drinks were brought. Large pint mugs full of frothy, amber beer were passed around the table, and the looks of delight on Micky and Davy's faces were unbelievable.

"I suppose this could be a nice change," said Peter, poking his finger in the froth. He picked it up and took a sip. "Not too bad," he said, nodding.

"Ya know, I don't know why I said I wanted something cold with how freezing it was out there," said Emily after taking a few sips. "But this is nice, and what good would a warm beer be anyway?"

"Hey, it's quite a treat back in England!" said Davy. "Gimme a nice warm drink in the middle of winter and I'll be all set."

"Davy, that's disgusting," said Riley. Of course, Robbie had forgotten that his little sister was a part of the round he had bought the drinks for, and he disapproved, but he let it slide for now—tomorrow wouldn't be as special.

"Well it is to you," said Davy. "Being English has its perks though, trust me!"

We believe you Davy," said Mike. "Okay guys, this is great and all—thanks Robbie—but we need to remember that getting drunk probably isn't the best idea guys, you got me?" Everyone nodded at that as if they understood, but after a couple of hours, and a few more drinks, everyone, including Mike and except Raul, seemed to forget his words or wisdom. In short, they were all piss drunk.

"You know something?" said Peter with very slurred speech, grinning and bouncing back and forth in his seat. "I like this guys—really, I do. And I never thought I'd be here, feeling this way with you guys, you know? I just feel all warm and fuzzy inside and it's just so freaking _great!" _

"You said it Peter," said Davy lazily. "But really though, who'd have thought that we'd be here in the first place? I mean, this place is in the middle of a mountain…a fucking _mountain _man!"

"Dude, have you ever been on a mountain?" said Micky. "Those things are the coolest!"

"This is the first mountain I've been on in years!" said Riley. "And it's great! Hey, can I have some more of that stuff?"

"Riley…no…Riley you're—you're drunk, no more," said Robbie, clumsily trying to thwart his sister's plans to take another sip from her mug.

"So are you stupid, now lemme drink," said Riley, drinking anyway.

"Mike, how are you," slurred Emily. "You haven't said a thing a_ll this time_. You normally can't shut up!"

"I'm just thinking," said Mike, gazing up at the ceiling.

"Bout what?" said Emily.

"Bout how pretty you are, that's what," said Mike, turning a heavy, drunk eye to her with a goofy smile.

"Oooh, are you now?" said Emily, clumsily leaning to him. "Well, I think you're just the _handsomenest_." She poked his nose and broke into a fit of giggles.

"Em, you're so drunk," laughed Mike.

"Dude, we all are," said Micky. "Ain't that right Peter?"

"So right!" said Peter, banging his fists into the table. "I think this is the best moment of my life! I mean, I never felt so alive dammit! It's like I was—like I was…dead before and now I just got popped out of my mom's—"

"Okay man, we get it," said Robbie. "Jesus guys, how do you all live with him?"

"Simple, we never get him drunk," said Davy, then he burst out into fits of laughter that the rest of the group followed it. Except for Raul. He was sitting at the end of the table, brooding, wondering why and how he could have let these stupid kids drink anything with alcohol. As if they were annoying sober! He just had to let it pass though…tomorrow was the day they'd be taken to Gary, and he wouldn't have to deal with them any more after that. And besides, they'd regret this all in the morning with the hangovers they'd have.

"Hey, Raul, why so stick-in-the-mud?" asked Mike. "Join the party!"

"There is no party," said Raul. "Just…leave me out of it."

"Fine, suit yourself," said Mike. Emily had been stroking his leg for the past few minutes, and boy was it ten times more intoxicating than the beer. She looked up at him, her eyes in a drunken stupor, but somehow still very pretty. Maybe that was the beer talking too though.

"You know," Emily said seductively. "We got four rooms for two…and we're two…so we can get our own room like we thought! Ain't that something great?"

"I tell you what Em," said Mike. "That sounds fantastic."

"My privilege sharing a room with such a handsome and dashing man," said Emily.

"Lady, I will make you a princess tonight—a freaking _princess_," said Mike. "How's that sound?"

"I think it sounds like you two need to get a room man!" said Micky. "Gross!"

"But isn't that what we're talking about?" asked Emily. "Getting ourselves a room?"

"Yeah…" said Micky, perplexed. "Guess you're right…"

"I think it's a beautiful thing you guys are so in love you wanna do all kinds of crazy stuff in your own room," said Peter. "Like, I remember when I first met a lot of pretty girls…mostly the ones I look at on the magazines…boy would I love my own room with one or two of them…"

"God Peter, shut it, will ya!" said Davy, throwing a napkin at him.

"But I do think we should do what Micky told us to do," said Emily. Even drunk, how could Mike say no to that hand still stroking his leg? To his surprise, Mike was able to spontaneously able to stand and scoop Emily up bridal-style without losing footing.

"Let's away, my princess!" he called as he walked off to the rooms with her.

"Oh, my gallant stallion!" Emily praised.

"Tellin ya guys," Davy whispered as they walked off. "Mike's been taking my stud status he has, and I ain't gonna stand by!"

"But you have me!" Riley moaned.

"True, sorry love, just…insecure," said Davy. "Though I'm secure enough to admit it…" Riley giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

Mike kicked open the door to his and Emily's room, carried Emily to the bed, and slammed the door shut. "Hey beautiful!" he said.

"So, what are we doing?" asked Emily, leaping up the bed and into his arms. "I'd _love _to take a ride on my stallion!" She kissed him and Mike pulled back after a moment.

"Man Em, it doesn't feel right," said Mike. "You're drunk!"

"So are you!" said Emily. "Just the same as me!"

"You're right," said Mike after a moment of thinking. "So…I don't need to feel bad about this?"

"Nope!" said Emily, and Mike attacked he with kisses. It was sloppy, but hey, neither of them cared, they were drunk as the day! Mike pinned Emily down on the bed as he kissed her neck furiously. Emily racked her fingers through his hair and all over his back as she enjoyed the moment of pure, raw bliss. "Am I your princess yet?" she asked, smiling broadly.

"Darling, you were my princess long before this," said Mike, wondering how in the hell he was able to come up with such a romantic line as wasted as he was. He scooted Emily up the bed until she was all the way on, and he climbed up on top of her. Yes, this was going to be a good, long, alcohol-fueled night for sure. He placed more kisses on her and they both fumbled at clothes as their heads spun and hearts pounded.

Outside, Raul was trying to round the rest of the drunk crowd into their rooms. "Come on, I have it figured out," said Raul. "Micky and Peter, you get a room together."

"All right!" Micky shouted as he and Peter high-fived.

"Davy, you room with Riley," said Raul.

"Oh boy Riley, this is gonna be a great night!" exclaimed Davy as he and Riley exchanged joyed glances.

"Oh, hell no, not in a million years man," said Robbie. "That's my baby sister, and I ain't letting her stay with some drunken wako."

"Robbie, you're a drunken wako yourself right now, calm down, will ya?" said Davy. "What if I tell ya I won't touch your sister, all right?"

"Just as well I guess," said Robbie. He looked at Raul. "I wanna keep an eye on you anyway man."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Raul skeptically.

Robbie caught himself just before he said something he would regret. "Ah…nothing man, nothing," he said. "Just…just a drunken wako, ya know!"

"Right," said Raul. "Okay, everyone off to your rooms, get some rest. Come on Robbie." The rest of the group went their separate ways to their rooms. Once Robbie was done glaring at Davy for wrapping his arm around Riley on their way out, he followed Raul.

What could Robbie have possibly meant by wanting to keep an eye on Raul? Did he know something he didn't think he did, or was it just his drunken stupor talking? Raul hoped it was the alcohol, because whether he liked it or not, there was still enough time left for the group to turn on him. A lot could happen in a few hours. Raul's only hope was that Gary's men were swift enough to catch them before they got any ideas. He let Robbie go into the room first and Raul slinked off to speak to Gary. He summoned him and he showed up, as usual.

"We are here," said Raul.

"Good," said Gary, and he faded away. Raul could tell he was confident about whatever he was planning, and that was indeed good. For him, anyway.


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning, Mike awoke with the biggest headache he ever had, and quite possibly the biggest one to mankind. Groaning, he turned over to his side, but Emily wasn't there. He listened closer and heard the shower running—she must be in there. He sat up a little bit, and the room spun with his throbbing head. He knew he shouldn't have drank that much yesterday…he needed to be alert for being on the move again and this wasn't the way to do it. Maybe he'd grab a coffee once he got down to the dining room. He figured he should probably go down now, before it got any worse.

Getting up clumsily, Mike staggered out of bed and sluggishly got dressed. "Emily!" he called gruffly; it was the first time he used his voice this morning.

"Yeah?" came Emily's reply from the shower.

"I'm headed down to the dining room," Mike called back. "Meet me down there if you want."

"Okay, I will," said Emily. Mike nodded and headed out. He wondered if the others were out yet; not that he would mind if he were the only one out there right now. He didn't figure he was ready to meet anyone in the condition he was in, friend or foe. The dining room was pretty empty, aside from a few scattered people and the bartender, who was cleaning cups and plates for the day. Mike found a seat away from the vast majority of the small amount of people and leaned his head against the wall.

"What can I get you?" asked the nasally-voiced waitress who approached him.

"Coffee," grunted Mike. "Black."

"Coming right up," drawled the waitress as she walked away with the order. She came back with it in a few moments and Mike took a sip. Of course it was way too hot, and he cursed grumpily when his tongue was burned, which made his head spin even more. This was not going to be a good day.

As he was drinking the coffee more as it cooled down, he noticed three suspicious people walk up to the bar and start speaking with the bartender. Mike knew it was silly, but he decided to keep an eye on it anyway. The three men were dressed in black suits, so why they were at an inn like that one all dressed up was beyond Mike, let alone the fact that they were talking to the bartender. It then occurred to Mike that he probably shouldn't be looking directly at the men. He looked away just in time; at that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the bartender point right at him, and the other men nodded and walked off. Something wasn't right here. He quickly finished his coffee and headed back to his room.

When he got back, Emily was dressed and brushing her hair. "What's wrong Mike/" she asked. "I was just on my way down to meet you."

"Emily, something funny's happening around here," said Mike. "I'll tell you about it when we get the rest of the group together. By the way, how are you feeling? After last night. I know that wasn't my finest hour."

"Oh, I'm fine," said Emily perkily. "By the way, you look terrible."

"Oh, gee, thanks," said Mike. "Nice to have someone as brutally honest as you around, Em."

"Thank you!" said Emily. "So…how bad is this thing you need to tell everybody?"

"I'm not sure yet," said Mike. "But it was weird."

"Well, if you think it's so important, I think we'd better get out of here and tell the rest about it," said Emily. "Should Raul know too?"

"Honey, I have a feeling that he already knows," said Mike. He and Emily left his room and Mike knocked on the other three doors everyone else was staying in.

"Wuzzamatter?" asked Peter, who peeked out of his room, tussle-haired and heavy eyed.

"Come on Peter, we need to wake the others up," said Mike. "This is serious—I think we may have a bit of a problem on our hands."

"The only problem is you bursting in on us here…" Micky groaned from his bed.

"Seriously guys, this isn't a time to play games," said Mike. "Wake up, and I'm gonna get the others out and in your room; we need to talk about something I saw earlier." He banged on Davy and Riley's door, and the two came stumbling out, giggling and flushed in the face.

"Hey, what's the fuss mate?" asked Davy. "We were just getting busy!"

"I didn't need to know that Davy," said Mike. "Come on, you two in Peter and Micky's room, now. I'm gonna get Robbie…dunno what I'm gonna do about Raul."

"Is it urgent?" asked Riley, getting serious.

"I dunno, may be, we just have to talk about it," said Mike as he knocked on Robbie and Raul's door. Robbie came out, and Raul was nowhere to be seen. Good, thought Mike. Maybe it was better not to have Raul there if it was a plot against them. Then again…where was he and what was he doing if he wasn't there?

"Hey there Mike," said Robbie. "Emily."

"Robbie, we're all getting in Peter and Micky's room," said Mike. "Need to talk about something I saw this morning—it was suspicious. Where's Raul at?"

"No clue," said Robbie. "I woke up this morning and he was gone. Either trying to get away from us or he's up to something, and I'm going with that second choice."

"Well that would make a lot of sense then," said Mike. He led everyone into Peter and Micky's room and they all sat down as Mike shut and locked the door behind them.

"What's this all about Mike?" asked Micky.

"Yeah mate, it's early," said Davy.

"Well it sure wasn't for you and Riley," said Mike, prompting a look of bother from Robbie. "Okay everybody, here goes—"

"Finally," muttered Peter.

"Shush Peter, this could be bad," said Emily.

Mike waited for everyone to shut up again, and continued. "So, there I was, down in the dining room getting my coffee," said Mike. "When three or so men, all dressed in black suits like some kind of freaking mafia come up to the bar and start talking to the bartender. It was a little weird, but it seemed innocent enough, till the bartender pointed at me!"

"What happened then?" asked Robbie, intrigued.

"Nothing much," said Mike. "The three guys looked over at me, nodded, and walked off. I'm really bothered though, I'm wondering if this has anything to do with Raul or Gary or whoever."

"Did they say anything?" asked Emily.

"They were speaking, but I didn't hear anything they said," said Mike.

"Wow," said Peter, looking positively freaked out. "I knew this wasn't gonna end well…"

"Now wait a minute Peter, we don't know for sure what's going on," said Mike. "Robbie, do you remember Raul acting suspicious or anything last night?"

"Damned if I remember what shirt I was wearing last night man," said Robbie. "I tell ya, we should have never had drank anything of the sort yesterday."

"Yeah man, I agree," said Davy. "I'll tell ya, I feel fine now, but I'm about as fuzzy as a throw rug."

"Or Micky's head!" Peter piped up.

"Okay Peter, we get it," said Micky grumpily.

"I don't get why you all are so grouchy," said Emily. "Hell, I feel great!"

"You do now?" asked Mike. "Well then Emily, would you happen to remember anything seedy that happened with Raul last night?"

"No, I don't," said Emily. "I just remember him being really grumpy and annoyed with us. Then we went off to our room Mike, remember?"

"Oh…oh…yeah, wait, I do…" said Mike, flushing at the memory. Drunken loving was not the best kind in the world, and he had to say he was a little ashamed of himself. "And that's it? No one's seen Raul since then?"

"Nope, not a sight," said Riley.

"Man, I was supposed to keep an eye on him," said Robbie bitterly.

"It's okay Robbie, we were all kind of at fault here," said Davy. "I'm sure he's around, and at least we know to be careful now with knowing what Mike saw earlier."

"That's right," said Mike. "I know he has something to do with those guys…anyone wonder why he stayed so long talking to the bartender yesterday?"

"Yeah, they must be in cahoots," said Micky. "What do you think they're planning?"

"Who in the hell knows," said Mike. "Emily, keep that flute as close as you can, you understand?"

"Yeah," said Emily. "And the music, where is that?"

"It's in here," said Peter. "We're watching it."

"Okay, good," said Mike. "Emily only looked at the simple ones; there's no telling what those crazy-looking ones can do."

"We'll guard them with our lives!" said Peter stoutly.

"Or maybe a little less than that," said Micky. "But they'll be safe, don't worry."

"Good," said Mike. "Okay everyone, I guess we gotta start the day. If we're gonna be leaving here, we're gonna have to be ready."

"But—what if you're right, and something does happen, and we don't leave?" asked Emily nervously.

Mike put a hand on her shoulder and she looked at him with frightened eyes. "Then we'll be ready for whatever anyone throws at us," he said. Emily forced a smile, but Mike could still tell she was nervous. She clutched her flute with a delicate hand and tried to be strong.

_Meanwhile, in another room:_

"You know what has to be done today, correct?" asked Raul to the three suited men.

"Yes," they all said.

"Perfect," said Raul. "I know you saw one of them. He will always be close to the girl with the flute. The others will be together as well. Give it a few hours, have them still be comfortable before they are taken."

The men nodded.

"Good," said Raul. "Gary will be pleased with all of you, as will I." The three men walked out of the room, leaving Raul alone. He would return to the group, and once a few hours would pass, those silly kids would be in the clutches of Gary Rowe, finally. The flute, the spells, and the girl. And Raul would be free from this nightmare. Smiling to himself, he walked out of the room and over to wherever that group was staying.

_In Peter and Micky's room:_

There was a knock on the door, and the group froze up. "Well?" Davy finally spoke, squeaked rather. "Someone gonna get it?"

"I've got it," said Mike, getting up. "Seriously, just cause some weird things are happening doesn't mean every little thing is gonna jump out and kill you." He opened the door and saw Raul standing in the doorway. "Though I could always be wrong."

"What was that?" asked Raul.

"Oh, nothing," said Mike. "Just being my usual _goofy _self, come on in Raul!"

"What's going on in here?" asked Raul. "Why the perfect circle you're sitting in?"

"We were playing Duck, Duck, Goose!" said Peter. Even Emily looked bothered by that comment, which meant it was actually genuinely stupid.

"No Peter!" said Micky. "We were gonna have a séance!"

"Don't let them confuse you Raul," said Mike. "We were just having a little talk, that's all."

"About what?" asked Raul.

"Boy, ain't you nosey!" said Mike. "Who needs to know?"

"Never mind," said Raul. Just a few more hours…then it would all be done…they'd be Gary's problem then.

"So where were you all this time?" asked Robbie. "We were a little worried, everything okay?"

"Everything's just fine," said Raul. "I'm never in trouble."

"Oh, well that's good," said Riley. "Not even when we rescued you all from the river? So humble." Raul ignored it, again.

"Come everyone," said Raul. "Let's go down to the dining room; I'm sure you'll be wanting something to eat."

"Trust me man, if I had something to eat about now, I'd be sick," said Micky.

"Oh, I forgot, of course, last night's indulgence," said Raul. "You lot ought to be more careful. Something could happen."

"That sounds a little seedy to me it does," said Davy.

"Well I didn't mean it to be," said Raul. "When you all are ready, meet me down at the dining room."

"Will do sir," said Mike. "Come on Emily, let's get back to the room, I don't feel like going down just yet."

"Coming," said Emily. The two walked back to their room and closed the door. "I'm telling you, I know I liked Raul at first," Emily said again. "But that was before I knew he was a crook…he's actually downright nasty."

"You're telling me," said Mike, throwing himself down on the bed. Emily sat down next to him and pulled out the photograph of Charles.

"Mike, do you think we were meant to run into that workshop?" she asked.

"Well, you were kind of dragged there," said Mike. "Do you think…possibly…it was the magic in the flute bringing you there? I mean, it's possible."

"You know Mike, I think you just made sense of that whole thing," said Emily. "That workshop must have something to do with why we're here though…why Gary's here." She stroked the picture. "I just wish I knew him…my great grandfather. I wonder what he was like."

"Probably just like you," said Mike.

Emily ran the fingers of her other hand across the flute. "I also wish I knew how Alexander Jules put the magic into the flute…there are just so many things I need to know. Why my family? Why me? Mike, I know I've been hiding it, but I'm so lost and I just want answers…and I think that's the one thing I want that the flute can't give me."

"Emily, we'll be at your uncle Gary's soon enough," said Mike. "I know you're scared of him, but he'll give us answers, I know he will, no matter what kind of harm he wants to do us."

"What if we don't live to remember the answers?" asked Emily.

"Trust me Em, we will," said Mike. He touched her hand that was holding the flute, and he took both the flute and the photograph away and placed them on the bedside table. He ran his hand up her arm and into her hair as he kissed her deeply, comforting her, and himself as well.

Later, after more kissing and touching, Mike and Emily left the room to see everyone else sitting at a table in the dining room. "Bout time you came around," said Micky. "What was the holdup?"

"Nothing Micky," said Mike, taking a seat and helping Emily into one as well. "Boy am I hungry…"

"Sure you worked up an appetite in there," Peter chortled.

"Shut up Pete, it's not the time for that," said Mike.

"So nice for you two to finally join us though," drawled Raul, brimming with sarcasm. "Now we can order something."

"Aw, you didn't have to wait for us!" said Emily.

"Trust me, I did, I had to," said Raul. "It's only polite." Of course, the real reason he had to wait for those two was that he couldn't render the group unconscious and have them brought off to Gary's house, least of all without Emily. She was the prize jewel in this coalmine of a rag-tag group.

"Well can we order something now then?" asked Davy. "I'm starving!"

"Yes, let's order," said Raul. A waiter came over and took orders. Raul shot a look to the bartender, who nodded in understanding. He sneakily slipped fast-dissolving pills into the group's drinks that would knock them out long enough to have the three men transport them to Gary.

"What's wrong there Raul?" asked Mike.

"Yeah dude, you look uneasy," said Robbie.

"Nothing is wrong," said Raul. The food and drinks were delivered to the hungry group's delighted eyes.

"Wow, this looks great!" said Riley. "I could really go for some food right about now…"

"What about your drinks?" asked Raul.

"Hey man, no more alcohol on this journey," said Mike.

"There is no alcohol in these, I promise you," said Raul. Of course, there was something else in them, but no one needed to know that, did they?

"I am pretty thirsty," said Peter.

"Let's toast!" Raul suddenly exclaimed, raising his un-poisoned glass in the air. "To Emily, and her gift of the enchanted flute!"

"To Emily!" Everyone chanted, not realizing the danger. Everyone drank at the same time, what Raul needed them to do. He watched with a satisfied smile as the group swallowed down the beverage.

"You know, that tasted kind of funny," said Peter with a disapproving look.

"Nah, it wasn't too bad," said Mike. Just then, he started to feel lightheaded again like he felt in the morning. His vision slowly went in and out of focus. Everyone else seemed to look funny too, but Mike couldn't tell. Soon, everything was completely blurry and losing its color, until Mike's head fell down on the table and everything turned to black.


	22. Chapter 22

Mike soon came to little by little a few hours later, but it felt like right away. His eyes slowly fluttered open, but where he was looked no less dark than it did a second ago. He realized that he was laying on a cold, hard surface, and as his eyes focused to the dark of the room, he saw Peter, Micky, Davy, Robbie, and Riley sitting along the walls as well. Emily was nowhere to be seen.

"Guys, where are we?" asked Mike urgently. "Where's Emily?"

"Not a clue mate," said Davy. "What did we just drink?"

"I knew it tasted funny," said Peter.

"This is no time to talk everyone, we have to find Emily!" said Mike, frantically searching the small, dark room. "Quick guys, help me look!"

"Oh, you won't find the girl in here," said a cool, smooth voice from the now open doorway. Light flooded into the room and everyone looked up to see who was standing there. He was tall and pale, with cold blue eyes and a headful of wavy blond curls. He had a face full of malice and satisfaction. It was the man from the street…it was Gary.

"What the hell did you do to Emily?" Mike snarled. "I'll tear you apart if you hurt her you bastard!"

"Oh, yes, you're the silly sod who's in love with my niece," said Gary. "As her family, dare I say I do not approve."

"You ain't her family you dog, now tell us where she is!" said Mike.

"Okay, okay," said Gary. "It may comfort you to know that your _precious _Emily is safe and unharmed."

"Yeah, but where is she?" asked Davy.

"She is in the basement," said Gary. "We will be keeping her there for a time."

"If she's in the basement, then where's this dump you have us in?" asked Micky.

"The dungeon," said Gary. "Consider Emily lucky then—she has better digs than you…yes, I do believe that is how you young people would say it, am I right?"

"Stop trying to be hip, you'll hurt yourself," said Robbie from the corner.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" said Gary. "Robbie, I owe you and your sister a thanks for safely transporting these kids across the river, you two were much help to me and my plan, if you don't mind me saying."

"Oh, we mind it you jerk!" Riley retorted.

"Plucky!" said Gary. "Well, I must be going anyway. Raul and I are going to have a bit of a celebration. If you didn't already guess, Raul was never on your side."

"Yeah, give us the news, will ya?" said Mike, a little calmer, but still in a rage.

"I plan to," said Gary. With that, he shut the door behind him, leaving the group in the dark again.

"Hey Pete, you alright?" asked Micky to Peter, who was huddled up in the corner.

"I'm scared," said Peter. "We may just die here, you know? It's hopeless…"

"No Peter, it ain't," said Mike. "We're gonna get out of here alive, all of us." Except he was scared too. Gary said Emily was safe, but he couldn't be too sure. All he could think about was Emily…she had been frightened before, who knew what she was going through right now. Was she safe? Was the flute safe? And was she ever going to find out what she needed to know? Mike huddled up in the corner next to Peter, not only comforting his friend, but himself as well. He was wondering whether or not he'd see Emily again.

In the basement, Emily was fighting her own mental battles. She had woken up a moment ago and Gary hadn't come to see her yet. She knew that was where she was, her uncle Gary's house. Those drinks must have been spiked…that had to be what Mike was worried about back at the inn. Thankfully whoever brought her there didn't take her flute and had thrown the sheet music spells in the basement with her. She wondered why? Suddenly, in the darkness of the room, she saw something moving on the old dusty couch.

"Hey, it's about time they sent some company down to me," said the figure. "What they got you in for?" As the man moved closer, Emily saw that it was Al from the music store back in LA. "Emily?" he said, recognizing her. "Oh no…they actually got you…how are the others?"

"I'm not sure," said Emily. "Al, is that you? What are you doing here?"

"There's still a lot you don't know Emily," said Al. "And I think it's time it was all explained to you."

"I've been thinking the same thing," said Emily. She picked up the sheets of music and looked through them wistfully.

"Where did you find those?" asked Al in wonder.

"We found an old workshop in the mountains," said Emily. "We think it belonged to the person who made the flute for my great grandfather. We also found this." She dug in her pocket and took out the photograph of Charles Rowe. Al took it and looked at it, then flipped it over to look at the writing.

"Ah, yes, I remember when I took this picture," said Al. "It was when I finished the flute and gave it to Charles…he was a good man Emily, you look just like him too."

"Wait a minute," said Emily, confused. "Al…you can't have made the flute…you're nowhere near old enough, hell, you'd be dead by now! You're too young!"

Al laughed. "Thanks for the complement Emily," said Al. "But when you know how to use magic, it keeps you young. I did indeed make the flute, no doubt about it. And what you have there are my original spells I wrote for it. I take it you didn't make off with all of them?"

"No sir, we couldn't, there were too many," said Emily. "I just can't believe…you're Alexander Jules?"

"Well, what did you think 'Al' was short for, Kevin?" asked Al.

"Well…no…" said Emily. "I guess I have no choice but to believe you." Then she got a bright idea. "But just to be sure," she said as she gathered up the music and showed him the first spell she tried. "What does this spell do?"

"Starts a brisk wind," said Al.

"Wow…okay…what about this one?" asked Emily, brandishing the second one.

"Depends on what kind of landscape you're on," said Al. "But it makes something of a wave of whatever you're standing on, say dirt, snow, water, anything."

"I see…" said Emily. "Well…I guess it really is you then." She hung her head. "Perhaps you can tell me who I am then, now that I know who you are."

"Simple, you're Emily Rowe," said Al. "Nothing else to it. You just happened to be born into a family with a prized heirloom."

"But…why am I here?" asked Emily.

"Because you have a deranged uncle, whom I've never liked, who's crazy and power-hungry," said Al. "You were just unfortunate enough to have ended up in all this mess. Bad timing, I'd say."

"I'm just scared is all," said Emily. Just then, the door opened, blinding both Emily and Al with the light outside. Standing in the doorway was none other than Gary.

"Well, well, well!" said Gary. "It sure is nice to see my little niece Emily again!"

"What have you done with my friends?" pleaded Emily, frightened.

"Ah, yes, the miserable musicians and the stupid sailors," said Gary. "They're in the dungeon. Don't worry dear, you'll get to see them again before the very end; I have something very special planned."

"Hey, how's this for special?" said Al. "How 'bout you go to Hell!"

"Unlikely," said Gary. "I'll just leave the two of you alone down here. Maybe you'll learn something."

"Yeah, how to get out of here and finally end this," growled Emily. "You better not hurt anyone."

"Oh, don't worry, at least not yet," said Gary. Without a word more, he shut the door, making it dark once more.

In the dungeon, Mike wasn't feeling much better. "Come on guys, we have to find a way to bust out of here and save Emily," he said while pacing the floor.

"It's no use Mike, we're trapped like rats in here," said Davy. "Stuck in this big black box…"

"It's not a big black box Davy, it's a dungeon," moaned Peter. "Get your prisons right man."

"Oh, gee, I'm so sorry Peter!" said Davy sarcastically. "It's just that I got them confused and all, big black boxes and dungeons! I mean, it's not like we're bloody trapped in both, and it's not like they're both bloody dark either, cause a bloody big black box is _so _much different than a bloody dungeon!"

"All right guys, cool it!" said Mike. "We just have to figure out a way out of here."

"How do you think we're gonna do it?" asked Micky.

"That's the issue here…" said Mike. He sat down to think. This was going to be tougher than he wanted it to be.

_In the basement:_

"Al, do you have a clue what this spell may do?" asked Emily, handing the piece of music over to Al. "I haven't tried to play it yet, but it looks intriguing."

"Let me take a look, I can probably remember," said Al. He picked up the piece of paper and tried to look. "I could really use a light in here." Emily took that as a chance; she raised her flute and played the same little tune she used to make the torch in the workshop, it worked, and soon the basement was lit with a warm, glowing flame on the wall.

"Impressive," said Al, nodding, surprised. "Okay, let's see what you've got here, now that I can actually see it." He held the sheet up to the light and looked it over. It was a tough piece of music, the one that Peter had shown Emily the day after the workshop. The page was nearly all black and looked very intimidating. Al's eyes grew round as dinner plates as he realized exactly what it was.

"Oh my…" Al breathed. "Emily, I just wanna say it's a good thing you didn't try to play this one."

"Why?" asked Emily, scooting in closer.

"This is the most powerful piece I ever wrote," said Al. "This spell…I couldn't even tell you what it does. It destroys, creates, kills…extremely hard to control. Whoever has this spell under their belt can do anything they want."

"Like…get off this island?" asked Emily.

"If you so desired," said Al. "What—wait—what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, if I can learn this spell, I can get my friends and me off this place," said Emily. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Al put his face in his hands. "Oh Emily, if you only knew what the worst was," he said.

"Will you help me Al?" asked Emily, giving him a pleading look. "You know the spell better than anyone, please?"

Al sighed. It was just so hard to ignore that look Emily was giving him. "It'll be very dangerous," said Al. "And hard."

"I'd do anything to help my friends," said Emily. "And Mike…" Mike…she was so worried about him…she had to see him again. He saved her in the beginning; it was her turn to save him.

"You're very brave," said Al. "And noble…a little stubborn. Just like Mike. Okay, I'll help you."

"Oh, you will?" asked Emily. She leapt into the man's arms. "Thank you so much Al, I don't know how to repay you!"

"By not getting any of us killed," said Al. "Come on Emily, I think it's time to start looking at this."

"Right away," said Emily, putting her flute up.

"Don't play just yet," said Al. "Look, and finger the notes. "As soon as you put the music to it, there's no telling what'll happen."

"Right, sorry," said Emily, putting the flute down.

"Okay, first measure," said Al. The lesson started, and Emily was never more excited. That was, of course, until Gary opened the door once more. Emily and Al hurriedly stashed the music in Emily's pocket as Gary walked into the basement.

"What do you want?" asked Emily.

"Now, now Emily, that's no way to talk to your dear uncle," said Gary.

"You're no family to me," said Emily.

"That may be," said Gary. "But if you must know what I want, I'm here to give you and your _unharmed _friends new quarters. All except for Al—he's my prisoner. You, on the other hand, are my guest of honor, and your friends are to be treated accordingly to your desires."

"Then let us go," said Emily.

"All except for that," said Gary. "Now follow me."

"Don't worry Al, I'll get you out of here," whispered Emily.

"Don't worry about me Emily," said Al. "Worry about yourself; and look at that spell—come down to me when you want, you'll know how." Emily looked at him, confused. "_Use the flute," _he mouthed as Emily was being dragged off by Gary. Emily nodded and she was taken out the door. Al was shut in lonesome darkness once again, but this time he didn't feel as alone. He knew Emily could overthrow Gary, and he knew that she had the talent to use the all-powerful spell. Who'd know that better than him? He wrote it!

Up above, Emily was being brought to the dungeon where everyone else was being held. "I know you remember Raul," said Gary as they approached him, sitting on a couch in the main room.

"Yeah, I do," spat Emily. "Where is everyone else you traitor!"

"Relax Emily," said Raul. "They are safe, I promise you."

"You also promised you'd get us off this dump of an island, but are we?" said Emily.

"You know Raul, she does have a point," said Gary. "But rest assured, he is telling you the truth about your friends. Come, let's meet them and bring you all up to your new quarters." He and Raul led Emily to the doorway of the dungeon. Gary unlocked the door and slammed it open. Sure enough, everybody else was in there, looking untouched.

"Emily!" Mike shouted, shooting up to his feet. "What are you doing to her you sons of bitches?"

"Relax Mike," said Gary. "Emily is out guest of honor here, and you are her friends after all, so why not give you a more comfortable living space? I do believe that's in order."

"Wow, guest of honor my ass," said Micky. "Last I heard you didn't throw the guest of honor in the basement first thing. You need some hosting lessons sir."

"Don't tempt me to keep you down here," said Gary.

"Up you all get," said Raul.

"We don't take orders from you anymore Gollum!" said Peter.

"What do you mean?" asked Raul, thrown off.

"He means that you're a dirty rotten crook!" said Davy.

"And ugly," said Riley. "Betcha never heard a girl call you that before!"

"No, I must say you are a first, you should be proud," said Rau nastily.

"Just where in the hell are you taking us?" asked Mike.

"To nicer rooms, I told you," said Gary. "Everyone gets their own, visiting, everything."

"Sounds like a prison to me," said Micky.

"Oh, would you rather stay down here then?" asked Gary. "Because that could be arranged."

"Oh, lord no, we'll follow you Mr. Crook sir," said Micky.

"Raul, bring them up," said Gary.

"With pleasure," said Raul. He jerked them all one by one up the steps roughly until they were all out of the dungeon. "Time to get moving."

"Emily, are you okay?" asked Mike as they were all herded along like cattle.

"I'm fine," said Emily. "Mike, you'll never guess who Gary has in the basement."

"Who?" asked Mike.

"Al, from the music store," said Emily.

"What?" asked Mike, appalled. "Why in the world would they have Al here? What does he have to do with all this?"

"I'll tell you when we're alone," said Emily. "It's big." Emily was forced to remain quiet about it for the rest of the walk. She didn't want to risk having Gary and Raul hearing her talk about information that she may not be allowed to know. "Are you okay though?"

"Not as bad as I've been," said Mike.

"I feel like I've been hit over the head," said Peter. "These rooms better be as nice as Gary's pushing them to be. He's obviously a dishonest man."

"I'm always honest to my guests," said Gary, grinning. "Now come, faster, the servants will be almost done." The group had no choice but to follow at this point. Gary could be telling the truth about the nice rooms…but why was he thinking to housing them so nicely if he had imprisoned them so harshly? But maybe he was trying to confuse them, Mike thought. Or keeping them fresh for the kill.


	23. Chapter 23

Everyone was led into their single rooms, which were actually quite nice. When Mike was shown to his, he was very surprised. There was a large bed, complete with a canopy, a dresser, a bathroom, curtains, all the fix-ins. "I'm sure this will be to your liking?" asked Gary, who was holding the door open.

"It's fishy, but you win this round," said Mike." And everyone else gets the same thing?"

"Exactly the same, don't you worry, my niece will be living as nicely as you are right now," said Gary.

"Stop trying to make it out that you're decent dude," said Mike. Gary just smiled and walked away, closing the door behind him. Mike walked in alone and sat down on the bed. It was very soft; he had to say, he wasn't very happy to be here, but these were sure the nicest rooms they had stayed in the whole time they were on this damn island. He only wished Emily was with him right now…he hoped she was as safe as Gary was saying she was.

Emily was safe though, in her new room, and sitting on her bed just as Mike was in his own room. She was scared, yes, but holding her own. Once she was sure that neither Gary nor Raul would be peeking in her room any time soon, she took the sheet of music out of her pocket and held her flute. She knew she couldn't play it yet—she believed Al when he said it could be catastrophic the more she looked at the music. Al had told her to learn it though, so it was time to start from the top. Not even blowing the _slightest _ounce of air into the headjoint, she fingered the notes, learning the rhythms as she went. This was their only hope at getting off the island, and Emily was determined to make it happen.

Mike heard a knock on his door after a few minutes. He got up and answered it, and to his delight, it was Emily. "Hey Em," said Mike, hugging her. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," said Emily. "I just thought I should tell you about what happened in the basement. Should we bring the others in here? I mean, it's kind of big."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," said Mike. "After all, we are allowed visiting…like a prison…" He got up and started to walk out. "Guess it's about time to call a meeting." He went around to the other rooms, knocking on each of them and getting their inhabitants out, each one looking very eager to discuss ways to get the hell out of there.

"What's going on now?" asked Peter as everyone gathered in Mike's room and shut the door.

"I dunno, Emily, why don't you tell us what you found out," said Mike. "You said that Al from the music store was down with you in the basement, right?"

"Al?" asked Micky. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"That's just what I have to explain," said Emily. "Guys, you remember that photo of my great grandfather, right?" She took the picture out of her pocket and everyone nodded. "Well…the name on the back of the photographer and the guy who made the flute? Alexander Jules?"

"You're not telling us that's Al, are ya?" asked Davy. "Cause that's just crazy!"

"I am though!" said Emily. "Al is Alexander Jules! He made the flute for my great grandfather all those years ago, the magic kept him young or something, and he's here now as my uncle's prisoner! He's probably trying to find out about secrets."

"But Emily…that's impossible," said Micky.

"No it's not," said Emily. She took out the sheets of music and fanned them out across her bed. "Guys, you remember this spell?" she asked, pointing to the first one she tried.

"Wasn't that the one that blew all the sheets of music into Mike's face?" suggested Robbie smugly.

"_Yes, _it was!" said Emile excitedly. "And when I showed it to Al, he guessed it! And this one, the second one, remember what that one did?"

"The title wave of snow that—" started Robbie.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it fell right all over me, we get it," said Mike.

"Exactly!" said Emily. "And Al guessed that one right too! I mean, these spells have been in storage for years, who else but the guy who wrote them would remember them? I'm telling you guys, you have to believe me."

"Well, she does have some proof guys," said Riley after a while. "Why would she have a reason to lie?"

"It's just…weird," said Davy. "You're sure Emily?"

"Very sure," said Emily. "And guess what—we may have a way off this place finally."

"What is it?" asked Peter, perking up.

"This," said Emily, pulling out the powerful spell Al had shown her before. "Peter, this is the first piece you showed me when we were looking over some of them, and let's just say thank goodness I didn't try to play it."

"What does it do?" asked Mike.

"Any person who gets their hands on this with the enchanted flute and has the musical chops can make anything they want happen," said Emily. "And Al's gonna teach it to me so we can get out of here—in due time, of course."

"Gee Emily, you sure?" asked Micky. "This is a pretty tough-looking piece."

"Oh yeah, and who says I can't play it if I put my mind to it?" said Emily, shutting Micky up for good.

"Just out of the question…" said Davy anxiously. "What happens if you screw up?"

"Oh, no one really knows," said Emily. "We could all die…or something bad."

"Perfect," said Peter. "Always wanted to die from music anyhow."

"Oh, calm down you all, no one's gonna die," said Mike.

"But is it worth it to find out?" asked Robbie. "There are other ways off here you know."

"Yeah, and what are they?" asked Emily, bristling. "You know Robbie, if you knew a way out of this, you should have told us before! Now listen here pal, if I know a way to get back home, I'm gonna get us home! It is damn well worth a try!" Everyone was alarmed at Emily's sudden burst of aggression, but they all silently agreed with her.

"Emily's right guys," said Mike. "And if she's willing to risk her life to save us, I suggest we show her some respect." He shot Robbie a dirty look he returned it with a blank stare. "Although I wish she wouldn't…"

"I'll be fine Mike," said Emily. "I'll learn how to play it first, you'll see."

"And you're sure it'll work?" asked Micky. "I mean…that sounds like some pretty heavy stuff there."

"It will," said Emily. "Al wrote it; out of everyone, he should know."

"Just…if you don't know it by the time we have to go…don't kill yourself trying," said Mike.

"Oh, Mike, you don't have to worry about me," said Emily.

"Well, I do, a lot," said Mike.

"At least I know it means you love me," said Emily. Mike turned a bright shade of red while he others snickered to the side.

"Aw, isn't that sweet Mike?" said Peter.

"Made my teeth rot," said Mike. "And yeah Em, it does." More snickering, but Mike ignored it, although he still felt his blush.

"Well, shouldn't you get started learning?" asked Riley. "If Al's in the basement, how are you gonna get down there?"

"Simple," said Emily. "I can use the flute, he even told me to!"

"Emily, I wanna go down with you," said Mike. "I have to see Al…just to see what in the world is happening here with my own eyes."

"Understandable," said Emily. "Come down with me now, I'm gonna do some secret work with him now. The sooner I can get this piece worked out, the sooner we can get the hell out of here."

"Okay, let's go," said Mike. "You all better go back to your rooms so nothing looks suspicious."

"Right-o, back we go," said Davy. "Hey…I made a rhyme guys, how cheesy of me."

"It's your Britishness Davy," said Peter.

"No Peter, you know dwarfs like to make rhymes," said Micky. There was silly joking and messing around as everyone went back to their rooms and Mike and Emily snuck down to the basement.

"How are you gonna play yourself in without Gary or Raul hearing you?" Mike whispered when they got to the basement door.

"Well, judging by how every other instance in using the flute went, as long as I don't want him to hear, he won't," said Emily. "I'm thinking it's worth a try." Looking both ways just in case, she raised the flute to her lips and played a short tune, and before she knew it, the door's locks became undone and the door swung open.

"Look Gary, you bastard, I told you, I'm an old man already, gimme a little warning before you burst in here!" Al's voice echoed up from below.

"Al, it's not Gary, it's me, Emily, and I brought Mike!" said Emily. "I played myself in like you told me to."

"Ah good!" said Al as the two went down the steps to the basement. "Hey Mike, long time no see buddy, how've you been?"

"Lousy," said Mike. "And you? I hear there's a lot more to you than meets the eye."

"Boy is there," said Al. "Did Emily tell you everything?"

"I think it was everything," said Mike. "I dunno Emily, did you miss anything?"

"No, I hit everything," said Emily proudly.

"Good," said Mike. "Cause I don't know how much more mew information I can take. So what is this crazy all-powerful bigtime bigshot musical spell that Emily's talking about that can help get us off this island?"

"Do you have it with you Emily?" asked Al.

"Got it right here sir," said Emily, pulling it out of her pocket.

"Good," said Al.

"I've gone over it some," said Emily. "Of course I haven't played any of it; I remember what you said about mass destruction and all."

"Boy am I glad you didn't try," said Al. "And you're still not; you're not gonna play it until you're ready to use it."

"But…" said Emily, confused. "What about my air support? And my embouchure? How will I know what it sounds like?"

Al sighed. "Emily, how long have you been playing this thing?" he asked.

Emily thought for a while. "About ten years," she said.

"I don't think your air support and embouchure are anything to worry about against what kind of disaster can happen if you play this piece before you're ready," said Al. "You know what to do; you'll be fine."

"I agree Em," said Mike. "You gotta have this under your fingers before you put the notes to it."

"Okay," said Emily, sounding broken. "Well? Are we gonna start?"

"Right away," said Al. "Okay, we were interrupted a bit by Gary before, so let's start at the first measure again." Even the first measure, the first four beats, looked difficult to master. Emily used her shaking fingers to go over the rhythm and the fingerings. She had done a little looking at it in her room before, but it was different with two people in the room judging her. No, not really judging her, but still. It was a little nerve-racking.

"Very nice," said Al as Emily came to a screeching halt at the end of the piece with her fingers only. "You have very nimble fingers Emily."

"I'm actually confused with something," said Mike. "I know this subject was dead and buried before, but I'm just thinking—how is Emily gonna know how the piece sounds when she finally plays it? Will that change what it does?"

"Not at all," said Al. "Trust me you two, I have no doubts that Emily will have this piece under her fingers before it's too late, and she doesn't need to know what it sounds like until she plays it. It's just one of those things. All she needs to know are what the notes and rhythms are, for now."

"I guess we have no choice but to trust you," said Mike. "About how long do you think this'll take?"

"With regular lessons?" asked Al. "And Emily's skill…about a week."

"A week?" said Mike. "We may be dead by then!"

"And if I try it before I'm ready, we could very well die anyway," said Emily. "Mike, you have to understand. If I knew about the spell beforehand, I would have started practicing it from the moment we got it."

"I know Em," said Mike. "I just don't want you or me or anyone to get killed here, or anywhere for that matter."

"I understand Mike," said Emily. Suddenly, voices and footsteps were heard at the door.

"Guys, hide yourselves!" said Al. "It's Gary and Raul, they're coming." Emily and Mike nodded and ducked under the couch, where the darkness and a dirty sheet hid them both. The door opened, and sure enough, Al was right. "Well hey there bastards, what can I do you for?" he asked sarcastically.

"Don't give us that," said Gary. "Just checking in, as always."

"Well check later, I was sleeping," spat back Al.

"I don't believe you," said Gary. "Raul, do you believe him?"

"Not at all sir," said Raul. "I actually have a hunch that you're hiding something. Do you agree sir?"

"Naturally," said Gary. "What would you be hiding, Al?"

"That'd be none of your business, if I had anything to hide at all," said Al. "That's why it'd be hidden, stupid."

Gary lunged forward and grabbed Al by his shirt collar. "You better watch yourself sir," Gary hissed. "I may still have some use for you yet, but with Emily here now, my patience is waning and I'm starting to have less and less need for you. Unless you want your life to end before I originally wanted it to, you better shut your miserable little mouth."

"Make me," spat Al. Gary, infuriated, threw Al against the wall.

"Watch yourself," said Gary. "You may just end up like my brother. Come Raul." The two villains turned on heel and walked out of the basement and shut the door behind them.

"Man Al, you better be careful there!" said Mike as he and Emily crawled out from under the couch. "You can get yourself killed!"

"Eh, he doesn't have the guts to kill me yet," said Al. "I still know stuff he doesn't, he won't touch me."

"Al?" asked Emily meekly. "What did Gary mean when he said that you may just end up like his brother? I mean, he's talking about my father, right?"

Al sighed and hung his head. "Emily, I guess it's about time someone told you," he said. "A few months after you left for Los Angeles, Gary was still power-hungry. He knew you had left with the flute, and he was in a rage that it was out of his grasp. So, naturally, he went for the nearest person he could…you see, I'm sure you remember how overcome with jealousy he was for your father. So one day, he just snapped...he killed your father and then went looking for you."

"W—what?" asked Emily, in shock. "But…why would he? I mean, I know what, but…"

"I'm sorry Emily," said Al.

Mike put an arm around the pale, clammy and still shocked Emily. "I—I could have saved him," said Emily. "If I didn't leave…I could have gotten rid of Gary and saved my father."

"I wish it were so Emily," said Al. "But if you didn't leave, Gary may have gotten his greedy little hands on you long ago."

"He…he killed my father…" said Emily. "His own brother."

"Look Emily, it's okay," said Mike. "Well…not really, but you can't undo the past."

"Oh Mike, I wish I could," said Emily sadly. "I was gonna go back home someday…and now I just can't."

"You two had better get going back to your rooms," said Al. "Gary was suspicious and he may be back later."

"Right," said Mike, standing up, still holding Emily. "Thanks Al…I know the circumstances suck, but it's good to see you."

"Same here Mike," said Al. "And Emily?"

Emily peeked up from Mike's shoulder. "Hm?"

"Stay strong, I know you can," said Al. "I'll see you both tomorrow; only come at night from now on; it's risky during the day."

"We'll do that," said Mike. "Come on Em." He wrapped his arm around her and slowly and quietly guided them both out of the basement. The arrived at Mike's room without so much as a stop. "You stay with me tonight, okay Emily?" said Mike.

"Just as well I guess," said Emily, sitting down on the bed. "I just can't believe it…the crook."

"I can," said Mike. "He's a bad guy Emily."

"And to think…I left him," said Emily. "I turned my back on my own flesh and blood, and look where it got him?"

"Killed by his own flesh and blood too," said Mike. He sat next to her. "It ain't your fault Emily. You didn't kill your father; Gary did."

"You're right Mike, you always are," said Emily. She laid down on the bed, sprawling out on her back. "I just wish I could have seen him one more time."

"Hey, you never know what that flute can do," said Mike. He laid down right next to her and took her in his arms. "You never know."

"I wouldn't wanna get my hopes up," said Emily. She snuggled into Mike. "I never knew I had such a dark past. Sometimes I think I was better living in ignorance."

"But what fun was that?" asked Mike. "Finding more out about yourself is fun sometimes."

"Yeah, sometimes," said Emily, cracking a little smile. "There are just some things I could do without knowing." She sighed. "I loved my dad…he was always there for me, and he actually supported me leaving to see LA. My mother died when I was very young; I never knew her, so it was just me and my father. I was daddy's little girl." A single tear fell down her face, and Mike wiped it away.

"I'm sure he's very proud of you now Emily," said Mike. "You've done so much in such a short amount of time. I know I'm proud of you."

"Thank you Mike," Emily croaked. "I love you."

"I love you too Emily," said Mike. He kissed her softly; her lips were salty with the tears that were falling, but Mike didn't care. The kiss broke apart, and Emily lay her head on Mike's chest and just stared up at the ceiling while Mike stroked her soft, long hair. Emily would learn that spell, and she would tear Gary apart. She was determined, and when she was determined, nothing ever, ever stopped her. But now was a time for some long-awaited mourning. Rage and revenge would be saved for later.


	24. Chapter 24

Mike awoke the next morning to the light coming in through his window and the soft breathing of Emily beside him. He smiled and turned to look at her. He wondered how she slept after all of the surprises yesterday. Nevertheless, she looked beautiful all curled up on the bed, her hair tossed about the sheets. Mike couldn't tell what time it was—the one thing these rooms weren't equipped with was a clock—but he decided it would be a good idea to shower and get dressed anyway.

Once that was taken care of, he walked back to the bedroom only to see Emily was still asleep. Mike figured he shouldn't wake her. Just then there was a knock on the door. Mike groaned and went to open it—it had better not be anyone but the good guys. To his relief, Mike opened the door to Peter, Micky, and Davy.

"Hey guys, what's up?" asked Mike.

"You better wake Emily up," said Davy. "We've been called down for a 'welcome breakfast' or something stupid like that."

"Yeah, apparently Gary the God-Awful wants to 'make amends' with us for bringing us here in such a violent manner," said Micky.

"Yeah, and he said if we're not down in ten minutes he'll throw us in the pit," said Peter.

"Some apology," said Mike. "Okay, I guess we gotta go down there. Where are Robbie and Riley?"

"They're already down there," said Davy. "Stalling or something."

"Good, cause I dunno how long this is gonna take," said Mike. He put a hand on Emily and shook her softly. "Hey, Emily, you gotta get up, we have to go downstairs."

"Huh?" Emily groaned as she eyes slowly opened. "What for?..."

"We're being called to a breakfast," said Mike.

"Don't worry Emily, I'm sure the food's not poisoned!" said Peter.

"Shut up Peter, like saying that'll do any good," said Micky.

"Oh…well…okay then, I guess I'd better start putting myself together," said Emily. She sluggishly got out of bed and went into the bathroom.

"Gee Mike, what's got her in the dumps?" asked Micky. "I mean, aside from being held prisoner and all."

Mike sighed. He supposed he should tell the guys; Emily was in the other room, so she wouldn't hear anything anyway. "Emily found out that Gary killed her father after she left home," he said.

"Oh man!" said Davy. "Is that true? That Gary's a crook he is, I swear, if that flute spell don't work, I'm gonna tear him limb from limb to get out of here!"

"Yeah, it's true," said Mike. "Just—don't mention it around her, she's really distraught about it."

"Well I don't know about you, but if my father got killed by his deranged brother, I'd be _very _distraught," said Peter. "We won't say anything."

"Yeah man, we'll keep it quiet," said Micky.

"Thanks guys, this means a lot," said Mike. Emily soon came out from the bathroom all dressed and ready.

"I'm so sorry about your father Emily!" Peter blurted out. Once he figured out what he had done because of the dirty looks and the wide, surprised eyes from Emily, he covered his mouth and grew red.

"What—what did you do—Pete, what the hell did you do that for?" said Mike. "I told you not to say anything! Now she's all upset!"

"I'm sorry Mike, I just felt so bad!" said Peter.

"It's all right," said Emily. "It's not like I can pretend it didn't happen at all. I suppose we'd better get downstairs now; everyone's probably waiting for us."

"All right, let's go," said Mike, glaring at Peter on their way out.

"I said I was sorry Mike," grumped Peter as they walked down.

"Yeah, well don't do it again, we've got enough on our plates," said Mike. They approached the large dining room table that stretched through the whole room across from a roaring fire. Sitting at the table already were Robbie, Riley, and Raul, with Gary at the head.

"So nice of you to finally join us," said Gary. "I was having such a _splendid _time with the two sailor siblings entertaining me." His voice oozed with sarcasm.

"Anytime Gary, my man, we're here to help!" joked Riley.

"Don't trouble yourself," said Gary. "Come everybody, do sit down. Food will be out shortly."

"Something tells me there's a catch to all this hospitality," said Mike.

"Where's Al?" Emily worked up the courage to say.

"I thought I explained all of this before," said Gary. "Al is my prisoner, you all are my guests. Al will not be joining us at the table, he will sit in the basement like a good prisoner and will get fed like one."

Emily looked enraged, but Mike put a hand on her shoulder and held her back. Emily knew better than no lose her temper and say anything about her father while they weren't directly in danger; especially at a time like this. They may learn something while they were there.

"Well now that we're all here, maybe it's time to tell us why?" said Robbie. "Not that it wasn't a pleasure _entertaining _you, sir."

"Fine, I shall," said Gary. "I must apologize for treating you the way I did on our first meeting—it was terrible of me. Emily, you are family, and you and your friends should be treated as such. I wish to make amends and to make your stay here as nice as possible."

"Wow, yeah we'll have a nice stay," said Micky. "If we're so important to you then why did you throw us in the dungeon?"

"Yeah man, and why did Raul drug us before we got here?" asked Davy.

"Now come on guys, everyone makes mistakes!" said Peter.

"Yeah Pete, like we all don't know _that _already," said Davy.

"But the boy is right!" said Gary. Peter swelled with pride. "I made a mistake by doing all of those horrible things and I will do anything to fix what has been broken."

"What do you intend to do to fix things?" asked Mike.

"Anything you desire," said Gary.

"Let us go and bring us home," said Mike.

"I'm afraid we can't do that yet, you've only just arrived!" said Gary.

"Plus we have something special planned for you all," said Raul. "Even Al is invited to this."

"Wow, guys, it must be really special," said Peter.

"Not much more special than you Peter," said Micky.

"Thank you!" said Peter. "These guys are really something!"

"I must agree," said Raul through gritted teeth.

"What is this thing you have planned for us?" asked Robbie.

"Yeah, it had better be good if we're gonna stay stuck here till then," said Riley.

"Oh, but it is!" said Gary. "I am throwing a large celebration for Emily here. It will be lavish! Only the best to celebrate the long-awaited reunion of Emily and Gary Rowe with the flute of power safely in the family again. You all are invited, as well as some of my closest friends."

"How about my father?" asked Emily, burning with hate deep inside. "You know, your brother?"

"Sadly, Randy will not be able to make the party," said Gary. "He does send his love."

"I'm sure he does," Emily growled back. Mike had never seen her so mad before; she was so extreme in her emotions—he wondered what she would be like in a true rage. He hoped he'd never find out.

Nervous, Mike decided to break the tension. "So Gary, when exactly is this party?" he asked.

"In a week," said Gary. "And I hope to still have you as my gracious guests until then." Mike and Emily exchanged subtle but excited looks. That was the amount of time that Al had said Emily could learn the spell in!

"That would be perfect," said Mike.

"I am glad you see it our way Mike," said Gary. "Oh, the food has arrived!" Maids handed out plates full of pancakes, eggs, sausage, and other breakfast foods out to the group at the table.

"You sure this stuff isn't spiked with any kind of knockout juice then?" asked Davy, inspecting the waffles.

"You can all rest assured that none of this food is poisoned," said Gary. "And I am terribly sorry for having to take the measures that I had to in able to get you here before. And just in case you are still unnerved, I shall volunteer Raul to take the first bite, for all of this food came from the same kitchen. Raul?"

Raul took a bite and swallowed the food without anything catastrophic happening. "It is safe to eat," said Raul. "Please, start."

"Sounds fine to me," said Peter, preparing to dig in, but Davy stopped him.

"Come on now Peter, do you really think Gary'd let someone on his own side eat poisoned food?" asked Davy. "There food could very well be the stuff that's not poisoned, and ours could be full of who-knows-what!"

"Stop scaring him Davy, it's fine," said Robbie, who had already dug in and seemed to be doing all right.

"All right then, my mistake, eat up Peter," said Davy. Peter gave him a dirty look for interrupting his meal and started to eat.

"Not bad sir," said Mike. "I have to say, thanks for not poising us this time, means a lot."

"My pleasure," said Gary, picking up on Mike's tone. "How are your rooms by the way? I'm sure they're to your liking."

"Oh, they're just great sir," said Peter in between bites. "Thanks, they're much better than the dungeon!"

"I thought they would be," said Gary.

"So sir," said Emily, putting down her silverware. "Tell me—after the party, how are you planning on sending us all home?"

"I will get to that Emily my dear," said Gary. "Do not ask questions that do not concern you at the moment."

"I'm pretty sure it concerns me Gary," said Emily icily.

"It concerns all of us, in fact," said Mike. "And I'm sure all of us would love to know what you have planned out for us, if it's not too much trouble."

"I would tell you," said Gary. "But alas, I am still working on how to do so. But do know that you will be sent back to wherever you came from, all of you."

"You say that like we're supposed to feel safe," said Robbie.

"And you should," said Raul. "Gary never breaks a promise."

"I see," said Robbie, still skeptical. The rest of the meal was spent with mostly silence; the group had found out most of what they needed to anyway. Mike had never seen Emily look more tense. It was a little scary actually, and Mike sincerely hoped that she wouldn't snap in the middle of things. He couldn't blame her of course, not after what she found out about Gary and her father, but now wasn't the time to lose your cool. Mike could tell that there was still much more they could learn from Gary. Like what he had planned for his so-called "celebration." Soon, the breakfast was done and maids were cleaning up the table.

"I thank you all for joining us," said Gary, standing up with Raul. "There will hopefully be more of these in the future."

"Yeah, that wasn't too bad man," said Mike. "No poison, my ideal meal."

"Oh, please Mike, drop the poison bit, can't you tell it makes me feel bad?" asked Gary.

"Sorry sir, I hardly knew," said Mike.

"You all must get going now," said Gary. "Raul and I have things to discuss about the celebration, and I'll not say anything until you are all in your rooms."

"Right man, secrets, my kind of conversation!" said Micky, jumping in between the two of them.

"Don't do that," said Raul flatly.

"Why ever not?" asked Micky.

"Get outta there Mick," said Mike, coming in and dragging Micky away. "Sorry about that guys, that's our Micky for you!"

"It's quite alright," said Gary. "Go, be on your way now." The group listened and all headed to Mike's room. Once they were all in, Mike closed the door and they all sat down.

"What do you suppose they're talking about out there?" asked Davy.

"I don't know, but I'm thinking it's too risky to eavesdrop," said Mike.

"Or they could just be talking about the party," said Peter.

"Peter, why would they push us out of the room so quickly if they were talking about a party?" asked Mike.

"Yeah, use your head," said Robbie. Mike gave him a dirty look and went on to Peter again.

"Well, it could be a surprise party!" said Peter.

"Pete, you never learn, do you?" asked Mike.

"We gotta find out what they're saying," said Emily. "It's probably very important. I mean, if Al can't even sit with us at the breakfast table, then why is he invited to a huge party like that? This has 'suspicious' written all over it."

"You're bright Emily," said Robbie.

"Yeah, that's what my father used to tell me," said Emily. She suddenly looked very sad and looked at the floor. "I'm gonna get that son of a bitch for everything."

"We just can't run in without a plan though," said Mike.

"Mike, when have our plans ever worked?" asked Davy.

"This one, to find out what the hell is going on out there," said Mike. "Have a little faith."

Outside in the dining room, a little faith was what was needed for the group. Gary and Raul had entered their discussion, and it wasn't good for anyone but them. "This plan is coming together better than expected," said Gary. "I must say I'm very proud."

"Yes sir," said Raul. "But I can still tell that they're suspicious. You heard the way Mike was talking, and Emily too, I'm shocked to say."

"Yes, you are right," said Gary. "But as long as we are not hostile to them for the next few days, we may have their trust until the party."

"Yes sir," said Raul.

"I trust that you have my composition?" asked Gary.

"Yes Gary, it is safe in my room," said Raul. "I never take it out."

"Perfect," said Gary. "At the party, we will have The Monkees play, as they are supposed to be a decent rock and roll band—maybe—and after they finish playing their last few songs they will ever play in their miserable little lives, I will have Emily come up with the flute. I will give her my composition; a piece that, when played, will kill her instantly, leaving the flute to be mine. Then we will dispose of the others any way we like."

"That is a wonderful plan sir," said Raul. "You are truly a master of evil."

"I've had my practice," said Gary.

"What will become of Al?" asked Raul.

"Oh, he'll die too, with the others," said Gary. "Raul, the power of the flute is so close I can almost taste it…just think of it, once I get my hands on it, all the riches and power of the world will be all mine! And no one will be able to stop me!" Of course he had no clue what Emily was working on in secret. The all-powerful spell, and that just may be enough to topple even his best laid plans. But, as far as Gary was concerned, he was already holding the enchanted Rowe flute as his own, and he wasn't afraid to think the best.


	25. Chapter 25

Once night fell, Emily ran to Mike's room and knocked on his door. Mike answered it, knowing already what she wanted. "Come on, I'm going down to Al for a lesson," said Emily. "Come with me."

"All right," said Mike, walking out to Emily. "You have the piece?"

"Got it here," said Emily, patting her pocket.

"Good," said Mike. "Glad we actually do have a week till this shindig Gary's putting on. That'll give you the exact amount of time."

"Plus we can go out with a bang!" said Emily. "That could be quite literal, actually…"

"Yeah, well, let's hope not," said Mike as they walked to the basement door. "I'd hate that bang to be any kind of harmful."

"Mike, I think you worry too much," said Emily. "Granted, sometimes you really should and are right by it, but other times you just gotta chill out a little and relax. Not everything is impending doom or whatever."

"That's what you think," said Mike, but he was only kidding. Of course he was a little on-edge with everything that had been happening on this little adventure, but a joke here and there wasn't going to hurt anything. "You still gotta play yourself in?"

"Yeah, gimme a minute," said Emily when they reached the basement door. She played softly and the door opened like it did the last time. Al didn't give a retort like he did last time; he must have known that Mike and Emily were coming down. "Al, we're here!" said Emily as they walked down the stairs.

"Good, good," said Al, sitting up from the couch. "Just getting a little rest—I'm glad you came though, really."

"Are we disturbing you?" asked Emily.

"Not at all," said Al. "Besides, this is important."

"We also have some news for you, if you don't know already," said Mike.

"I don't recall having new news being thrown at me yet," said Al. "Go right ahead, what's the deal?"

"Supposedly, Gary's throwing a celebration for Emily and the flute," said Mike. "And you're invited."

"Oh, terrific, I love it when people don't tell me what I'm invited to these days," said Al. "Just when is this thing?"

"In a week," said Emily excitedly. "You do know what that means, do you?"

"Care to refresh my memory?" asked Al.

"That's the amount of time you gave me to learn the spell!" said Emily. "I can play it at the party when everyone's distracted, and we can get the hell outta here! It's so perfect!"

"That's all well and good," said Al. "I like your thinking Emily—but did you ever stop and think about why Gary would be having this party in the first place? He could be keeping an eye on all of you, and Raul too, for that matter."

"We know that," said Mike. "But it may just be our only chance."

"Oh, I agree with you there," said Al. "Hopefully there will be enough other people there at the party to be able to distract Gary long enough for Emily to play the piece—which brings us back to the reason we're all here now. Come on Emily, show me what you've got, and remember, _no playing." _

"Gotcha sir," said Emily. She took the piece out and fingered the notes in rhythm again as Al had told her to do. She got to the end much easier than her first time and looked between Al and Mike, satisfied.

"Very good Emily," said Al. "I think you're really starting to get that piece of work under your fingers."

"Thank you Al," said Emily brightly.

"Does she just have to keep working on that?" asked Mike.

"I'm adding something new this lesson," said Al.

"Playing?" asked Emily hopefully.

"No Emily, remember what Al said?" said Mike. "If you play it now you don't know what'll happen, it's too powerful."

"I wish I had a normal flute to practice on," said Emily glumly. "Okay Al, what am I doing this time?"

"Practicing the different articulations," said Al. "I trust your father taught you about those when he was teaching you how to read music?"

"All about it," said Emily, looking a little saddened by the mention of her father.

"Come on Em, doing this'll make him proud," said Mike. "Feel better and keep on going."

Emily nodded and looked back up again. "Do you know what I want you to do?" asked Al.

"Practice the articulations vocally?" asked Emily.

"Precisely," said Al. "Do that for me, measure by measure, and I'll tell you when to stop and what to fix. One measure at a time for now." Emily nodded and started up on that. Mike was impressed by how fast she was able to pick the music up. He never actually got a good look at the printed music on the page; he only heard the clanking of the keys from Emily fingering the notes, but he glanced over to see just what was on the paper, and he was amazed and impressed even more when he saw all of the black in the measures. He wouldn't even be able to play a piece like that on his own guitar!

"No, Emily, stop," said Al. Emily stopped and looked up.

"What did I do?" she asked.

"You made that last note sound like a staccato—don't cut it off to quickly, hold it for its normal duration," instructed Al.

"Oh, right, sorry," said Emily. "I'll fix that." She started from the beginning and tried her best to remember every little articulation and dynamic marking on the page. "Wow…you know guys, I haven't had a music lesson like this since my father."

"Am I doing him justice?" asked Al.

"Very much," said Emily with a smile.

"Not to break things up, but is this almost done?" asked Mike. "I dunno about you two, but I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, I think that's all that we can do here tonight," said Al. "You two better get some sleep; I have no clue what Gary has in store for you all tomorrow, but you don't wanna be tired when you find out."

"I think that's smart," said Emily. "Come on Mike. And Al?"

"Yes?" said Al.

"Thank you very much," said Emily. "I'm very glad we have been getting to do this, and don't you worry, once I play the spell, I'll get you right back home with everybody else!"

Al chuckled and smiled. "Yeah, I think I'd like very much to be back in my shop," he said. "Hope it's still open. And not a problem Emily…okay, you two, get."

"Right," said Emily and she and Mike left the basement.

"I'm really excited about learning this," said Emily in a hushed whisper as they rushed back to Mike's room. "I feel like I can finally do something!"

"Who said you couldn't before?" asked Mike as he opened his door and ushered Emily inside.

"I just didn't know how, I guess," said Emily, closing the door behind them once they were in. "You know Mike? It's funny. Here I am, with my own room just down the hall, and I've never used it!"

"Well, I guess that works out for both of us," said Mike smoothly, and he kissed her seductively.

"Oh Mike, when have you ever been wrong?" asked Emily as she planted a kiss on Mike's neck, right under his ear. Her lips sent chills down his back and shivers all over his skin. Forget self-control—he carried her to the bed, dangerously happy that Gary wasn't keeping them to their own rooms.

The next morning, Mike awoke to the all-too-familiar sight of Emily in his arms. She stirred a bit, jostled by Mike waking up. Her eyes fluttered open sleepily to see Mike looking down at her.

"Morning sleepyhead," said Mike.

Emily grunted and rested her head on the pillow. "No stupid welcome breakfast?" she asked.

"Not that anyone's told me yet," said Mike. Just then there was a knock on the door. "But believe it or not, I _have _been known to be wrong. Coming!" He and Emily got out of bed, dressed, and Mike went to answer the door. There he saw the frazzled pair of Micky and Davy standing. "What's up guys?" asked Mike. "Where's Peter?"

"That's just it," said Micky, frustrated. "He's gone missing."

"Oh no!" said Emily, concerned. "You don't think Gary got him, do you?"

"No, he's probably just done something stupid," said Davy. "Come on guys, we've gotta find him."

"All right, let's go find that sin of a bitch," said Mike. "You coming Emily?"

"In suppose I should," said Emily. "Where are Robbie and Riley?"

"I think they're still asleep," said Micky. "Davy, weren't you staying with Riley last night?"

"Yeah, I was, I just left her to see what you all were up to, and Peter wasn't in his room," said Davy.

"Where do you think he'd be?" asked Emily.

"You know Peter by now," said Mike. "He could be anywhere."

"Perfect," said Micky as they briskly walked down the hall. "Leave it to Peter Tork to get lost in an evil guy's house…"

"I beg your pardon?" said a voice behind them.

The group wheeled around only to see Gary standing right behind them, his arms crossed. "Oh—uh—nothing!" said Micky with a nervous grin. "It's just that…Peter's gone missing, and we're trying to find him, that's all, yeah."

"Yes, I figured that," said Gary. "But what did you call me?"

"I…uh…I…" stuttered Micky, looking more and more nervous by the second. "I called you a…nice guy! Yeah, that's it, a nice guy, nothing evil about you at all, no sir!"

"Right," drawled Gary. "Well, you best be looking for your friend now. I'd hate to think he was lost." He turned and walked off, leaving the group pretty much freaked out.

"Micky, come on, 'nice guy', that doesn't even rhyme with 'evil'!" Davy scolded.

"Hey, he walked away, didn't he?" said Micky.

"Yeah, he did, now let's look for Peter before time runs out and he comes back again," said Mike. The four went off in the opposite direction of Gary to search for their lost friend.

_A little earlier:_

Peter got up a little early and decided to roam the halls. All bad reasons for being there aside, he really did find Gary's house to be a nice place to visit. Getting up and dressed, he was out his door in no time and exploring the house. He went down a hallway no one had seen before and walked around, checking out the portraits on the walls and the decorations else ware.

What really caught Peter's attention were the large, shiny, suits of armor that were standing against the walls. They were each holding some kind of weapon—a spear, sword, lance, mace, everything Peter could think of that a Medieval knight would be carrying. He went over and looked at one in wonder, admiring his reflection in the armor and the large spear it had in its hand. Just then, something else caught his attention.

Right next to the suit of armor, there was a big, red button, labeled specifically: _"Do Not Press." _Peter looked at it intently, studying the situation.

"Well," he started to say to himself. "If I don't press it, I'll never know what it does! Can I bear to live in wonder all this time? I don't think so!" So, with a smile and a flip of his long sandy hair, he pressed the button. Nothing happened for a moment, and Peter laughed to himself at his silliness for thinking that something would a_ctually _happen, but soon after, he felt cold metal wrapped all around his body, and it got very dark.

"Help!" he screamed out, but the suit of armor muffled his cries. Oh boy…what had he gotten himself into this time?

_Back to the search:_

"Man, we've searched everywhere in this bloody place and _nothing!" _complained Davy. "Maybe we ought to look back in his room guys."

"Nah, that's too easy for Peter," said Mike. "He has to be somewhere…"

"What's the dumbest place you can think of?" asked Micky.

"I would say maybe the dungeon again," said Emily.

"Emily, you're brilliant," said Mike. "Come on guys, and if he's not there, I dunno where the hell he could be."

"Come on fellas—and Emily—let's head over there!" said Davy.

"Wait!" said Micky, stopping everyone in their tracks. "How do we know that Gary's not around?"

"You saw him, he went the opposite way," said Emily. "It's safe Micky, don't worry."

"The last time someone told me not to worry I got drugged," said Micky. "Okay, let's see." They approached the dungeon doors and Emily snuck her flute out and quietly played a little tune. The door opened and the group went down inside to investigate.

"Peter!" called Mike. "Pete, are you down here?"

"Come on out Peter!" Davy called.

"Peter, where are you?" said Micky.

"Peter! Where did you go?" asked Emily. There was no answer to either of them.

"That's strange," said Mike, looking around. "He doesn't seem to be down here."

"Yeah man, where else do you think he'd be?" asked Davy.

"Man, he could be a_nywhere_," said Micky.

"Peter sure does take a lot of looking after, doesn't he?" asked Emily.

"Not more than the average circus elephant," said Micky. "Come on guys, he has to be somewhere else." The group left the dungeon and Emily sealed it back up. Where in the world could Peter be?

_Else ware…:_

Peter lumbered down the hallway, only seeing where he was going through a small slit through the helmet. It was cold and dark in there and he was scared silly. Where were the guys? They were the only people who could get him out of this one…as always.

_Back with the others:_

"I don't think we've looked down over here yet," said Mike, pointing down another hallway. "Come on, it's worth a shot."

"That's what you've said about the last ten hallways Mike," grumbled Micky.

"Hey Micky, do you wanna find Peter or not?" asked Davy. "Stop complaining, if he's not down here we'll know where not to look."

"Yeah, but what if he wanders down here after we looked?" asked Micky.

"Will you two stop bitching over there?" asked Mike. "Please! We've gotta look down here, and I ain't gonna deal with your complaining!"

"Guys, I think I just heard something," Emily whispered, perking up.

"I didn't catch it, what was it?" asked Davy.

"It was a clanking sound," said Emily. "Hey, there it was again!" Sure enough Emily was right. There was the sound of clanking, clunking metal coming nearer and nearer to them down the hallway.

"Oh no, we're all gonna die!" Micky said, clutching at his curly head.

"No, we're not gonna die," said Mike. "Just wait and we'll see what it is." The sound grew closer, and around the corner came a large, walking suit of armor, lumbering over towards them.

Davy gave a small squeak of "Ooh!" and jumped into Mike's arms. "What the bloody hell is that thing?" Davy yelled. "I knew it, I knew it, we are gonna die!"

"Get down Davy," said Mike, dumping Davy on the floor. "Hey—uh—sir knight, sir, just where are you headed to?"

The suit of armor waved crazily and jumped up and down like a maniac.

"Ahhhh!" Micky screamed and he ran to hide behind everyone else, who jumped in surprise, both at Micky and the suit of armor. The suit began to point at himself vigorously and he started to play a sort of air-guitar before starting to jump up and down again.

"Wait…" said Emily, starting to walk forward.

"Em, what are you doing, we don't know who or what that is?" Mike hissed. Emily still walked forward and pushed up the suit's helmet. The face of a highly embarrasses Peter appeared, his hair tussled all around his face, looking flushed in the face and smiling bashfully.

"Ah-ha!" Emily said triumphantly at her discovery.

"Hey guys," he said like a guilty child. "Sorry for scaring you…I tried to warn you…"

"Oh my God Peter, what in the world are you doing in that thing?" asked Mike disapprovingly.

"Well, you see, I was just going exploring in the hallway down here," said Peter. " I thought the armor looked cool so I was looking at it…and I saw a big red button…it said not to push it, but I did anyway…and I guess it work the armor up and I ended up inside it…" He finished with a childish grin. "So here I am!"

"Oh _Peter," _moaned Davy with his face in his hand.

"Well, first thing's first, we gotta get you out of this thing," said Micky.

"Thanks guys," said Peter as the group rushed forward to strip the metal off of him. "I really appreciate it."

"Okay Peter, but next time, don't push the red button!" said Mike, hanging up the armor where it was supposed to be. "There's a reason why it's red and has a warning on it you know."

"Come on guys, you know Peter, he has to do to learn!" said Micky.

"I'm just glad we found you safe," said Emily, brushing dust off of Peter. "You had us worried sick, you shouldn't run off like that ever again!"

"I won't," said Peter glumly.

"Well, I see you found your friend," said Gary, who had swiftly appeared behind them again, making them all jump out of their skins.

"Yeah, we did, everything's fine sir," said Mike.

"That's good to know," said Gary. "Then I trust you wouldn't have any trouble practicing some music?"

"But we don't have our instruments," said Davy. "What would we play?"

"I have all the guitars, basses, and drums you'll ever need."

"What about banjoes and pianos, cause I play those too!" Peter demanded.

"Don't push your luck kid," said Gary.

"What do you want us to play for?" asked Mike.

"Why, you're going to practice for your audition to play for the big celebration!" said Gary. "I will not be listening to you yet, of course, I will wait until the audition, but Robbie and Riley are already in the study where the instruments are awaiting you to come and practice for them! I bet they would love to hear some music."

"Alright sir, we'll play your game," said Micky. "But just know that it's for us, and not you!"

"Right…" said Gary as he walked away. "Get yourselves to the study, now!"

The group looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess we're going to the study," said Mike.

"Yeah…" said Peter. "Where is the study?" Mike grabbed him by the cuff of his sleeve and made sure he didn't lose sight of him this time on their way. Peter was sure a huge liability in a large place like this, that just so happened to be filled with bad guys, and no one would take that kind of risk after that day, for sure.


	26. Chapter 26

"There you guys are," said Robbie as the group entered the study. "Where were you all off to? Gary had us _trapped _here for twenty minutes! Dunno why he wants so badly for you to play for us."

"I suppose he thinks it'll be some sort of torture," said Riley.

"It's not," said Emily. "I've heard them play before, and it was wonderful!"

"Well, obviously Gary doesn't know that," said Riley.

"Oh, he does!" said Peter. "He wants us to play at his party! This is audition practice!"

"Peter, did you ever stop to think that Gary may be up to something by asking us to play?" asked Mike. "He could be putting a bomb in the bass drum for all we know!"

"He better not, I just had it repaired after the last one," said Micky.

"Well whatever he wants us to do, we had better do it before he kills us straight up," said Davy. "I reckon those are the instruments on that bandstand right over there?"

"I reckon so," said Mike. "Let's check it out." It was actually rather nice; there was a small raised platform for a stage, complete with microphones and amps, a full drum set for Micky, a very nice looking bass guitar for Peter, a basket filled with all the maracas and tambourines you could ever find for Davy, and a beautiful blonde Gretsch guitar for Mike, the same as he had back home.

"Wow," said Micky, admiring the set. "He may be a horrible guy and all, but this sure is groovy!"

"Yeah, I'd say," said Mike. "Strange, but I've been missing my guitar all this time. Let's play something guys."

"What do you wanna play?" asked Davy as everyone strapped on and got behind their instruments. Without so much as a discussion, a mischievous-looking Peter went ahead and played the opening bass riff to a song Mike had written back home called "You Just May Be the One." Mike looked like he may kill Peter; it wasn't one of his favorites, in fact, he thought it was a little cheesy, but when he saw Emily glowing like a blonde light in front of the bandstand, he humored everybody and came in with his guitar.

It was a lovely song, Emily thought and she started to sway back and forth to the beat. Mike's voice was perfect; that accent, the twang. When the whole group broke into harmony in the bridge, Emily felt her heart leap at the sweet, full, beautiful sound. Mike's voice cut through the others with the melody and Emily knew he was singing to her somehow. The song ended to enthusiastic applause from Emily and Riley, and a mild clapping from Robbie.

"Oh, Davy, that was fantastic!" squealed Riley, jumping into Davy's arms on the stage.

"All in a days' work love," said Davy.

"Mike, that was a beautiful song," said Emily. "Just lovely!"

"Thanks Em," said Mike, feeling proud and pompous. "Just a little thing I wrote a couple months ago, not a hit or anything."

"Oh, but I loved it!" said Emily.

"I must say Mike, you have a real ear for cheese," said Robbie.

"Hey man, I'd like to hear you try and write a song or two," retorted Mike. "Especially about that—how often have you fallen in love and got out of it alive?"

"I'm more of a rambler Nesmith," said Robbie, staring off into the distance. "I take my chances."

"Oh, who has the cheese now?" asked Micky.

"And I very much know what you thought about me," said Emily. "Whether or not that was real love I don't know, but now that I look back on it, you were being a little bit of a jerk." Riley snorted into her hands and Robbie shot daggers at her, but it didn't stop her from giggling.

"Emily, you're the best," said Mike, and Robbie looked outraged and deflated.

"Maybe we should practice some more," said Peter. "I missed playing so much! Now what?"

"Man, let's do 'The Girl That I Knew Somewhere', that's a good one," said Micky.

"Yeah, only cause you wanna sing it," joked Mike.

"Oh, well, do you wanna sing another one of your cheesy songs then Mike?" Micky joked right back.

"No Mick, you've got this one," said Mike.

"But there's no harpsichord here," Peter complained. "And didn't you also write this one Mike?"

"Yeah, so whether Micky likes it or not, he's singing one of my 'cheesy' songs anyway!" said Mike. "So deal with it." He started the opening guitar riff to the song and everyone started along with him right away. When Micky started to sing, Emily was filled with surprise that a goofy guy like him could have a voice as smooth and wonderful as he had. This song also had a very beautiful melody. Emily couldn't believe what a talented songwriter Mike was as she listened to the lyrics and the chord changes. She wanted so badly to take her flute out and play along with them, but now she knew what kind of power the flute could have…she was scared to just tinker around on it anymore.

The song ended just as wonderfully as it began and there was an applause from the small audience in the study again.

"Oh, you should play both of those songs for the audition!" cheered Emily.

"Emily, Gary just wants them to play at the party as part of his evil plot," said Robbie. "It's not like he's going to care."

"But if he likes them well enough he just may rethink his 'evil plot'," said Emily right back to him.

"I doubt it," said Robbie.

"Robbie, why are you always so cynical?" asked Riley. "I swear, you've been such a pain in the ass lately."

"Tell me about it," Mike muttered. He had a slight suspicion that Robbie may have heard him, but nothing happened, so either Robbie didn't hear him, or he did and chose to ignore him.

"So what now?" asked Peter.

"I'm a little tired myself," said Davy. "Wanna break?"

"I think that's a fair thing," said Mike. He stepped down from the bandstand with the others and sat down on some of the chairs scattered throughout the study. "Boy, it feels good to play again."

"So Emily, did you have another lesson with Al last night?" asked Peter.

"Yeah, it went well," said Emily. "The spell's gonna work out just fine."

"And you're sure it'll be able to get us all home safely?" asked Robbie.

"Very sure," said Emily. "Al has faith in me, I know that means it'll work! He says I'm learning fast."

"She is, I've been sitting in," said Mike. "He's a good guy, Al. I've known him for years and I never knew exactly who he was. Hard to believe."

"When did you meet him?" asked Emily.

"When I first moved down here," said Mike. "I needed a new guitar; I couldn't bring the ones I had along with me on the plane, so I went to the shop to buy one. Al was there and he sold me the first guitar I ever bought over there."

"Can you believe what a small world it is?" said Emily.

"Yeah, it was pretty nuts," said Mike.

"Yeah, I always liked Al," said Davy. "Good man, always there when we needed something. Like a father figure."

"Yes, he does remind me quite a bit of my father," said Emily. "He's very kind."

"Em, are you okay?" asked Mike, concerned. Every time Emily's father was mentioned since Emily found out about his death, mentioning him, whether it was her or someone else who did, made her very glum.

"I'll be fine," said Emily. "I know my father didn't go like a coward, that's for sure. He may not have been the best flautist, but he sure was a brave, strong man."

"If anyone's the coward, it's that Gary," said Micky. "He needs magic to be able to do any good in the world…wait…that's not right…bad in the world, yeah, that's the right way to say it."

Emily giggled, looking a little happier, laughing at Micky's blunder. "Yes, I think you're right Micky," she said. "And Gary thinks I'm stupid…I know very well that I'm not."

"He who knows nothing and knows he knows nothing knows all!" said Peter. Everyone stared at him a while as they thought about what he may have meant.

"Sure Peter…" said Davy. "Care to explain that a little further?"

"It's quite simple Davy," said Peter. "If a person knows nothing, all they have to do is know that they know nothing, and instantly they know everything! It makes perfect since."

"Yeah, it would to you," said Micky. "I think you just turned my brain inside out…"

"Yeah Peter, where did you hear that?" asked Mike, rubbing his head.

"Oh, someone told it to me at a Renaissance Fair once," said Peter proudly.

"Who, the guy who made the suit of armor you got stuck in?" asked Davy.

"Wait, you got stuck in a suit of armor?" asked Riley. "I'm intrigued, care to tell us more?" Peter, embarrassed, proceeded to tell his story with the urging of the others about the suit of armor and the red button. When he finished, both Robbie and Riley stared at him with blank expressions.

"So _that's _why we were waiting here for so damn long," said Robbie. "Nice job Peter."

"Yeah, that's what everyone else said," said Peter, rolling his eyes. "I don't think it was that nice, to be honest."

"It's a little thing called sarcasm my dear," said Riley.

"So Peter, tell me, do you know you know nothing?" asked Micky.

"That's silly Micky, of course I don't know nothing!" said Peter.

"Wow, he's really dumb!" said Micky in mock-wonder. Before Peter could formulate a retort, the door to the study opened, revealing Raul walking into the room. "Oh, lookie here, it's our tour guide!" said Micky.

"Don't test me," said Raul. "Come on out, I trust you all are done practicing. Gary needs you to do something for him."

"What exactly does he need?" asked Mike skeptically.

"He will tell you when you get there," said Raul. "Just go before he starts to get as impatient with you lot as I've been getting."

"Okay, okay Raul baby, keep your pants on!" said Davy as the group headed out.

"Around you all, I'd be afraid to see what would happen if they were off," said Raul as he led then to Gary.

"Hey now, what's that supposed to mean?" asked Micky. "You're a very attractive man, but we like _girls _and both of the ladies here who would go for you are taken anyway!"

"I called you ugly," said Riley stoutly. "You remember, don't you?"

"Yes, I recall quite clearly," said Raul through gritted teeth. "Now can you all do me a favor and not speak until Gary asks you too?" The group, especially the guys, rewarded that notion with a series of random nonsense words and incomprehensible babble, all aimed at Raul. It was becoming a very fun game to them, and they had no means of ending it any time soon. It was making their stay here bearable.

"Will you all shut up!" Raul hissed, spazzing his arms. "Okay, here comes Gary now, thank God."

"Whatcha want Gary?" asked Mike as the man approached them.

"That is a very good question Mike," said Gary. "Have you been practicing?"

"The music, yes," said Mike. "But no…not the good question part, I'm just a natural at that."

"I can tell," said Gary sarcastically. "Anyway, I bet you're wondering why I called you all here."

"Ain't that what he just said?" Davy whispered to the side to Micky.

"Yeah, I think it is," said Micky.

"May I continue?" asked Gary, hearing the little sidebar conversation.

"Oh, yessir, sorry sir, please go on sir," said Davy.

Gary looked on to make sure it was all done, and then he spoke again. "As you all are quite aware, the celebration is coming up soon," said Gary. "Which means I need to start sending out invitations. I will very much appreciate the help you will be able to give me for this task."

"Oh, so you want us to send out a few party invitations?" asked Mike. "No sweat, how many you got?"

"All of these," said Gary, taking out a large sack from under the table and throwing it into Mike's arms.

"Holy crap man, who are you, Santa Claus?" asked Micky, stupefied.

"Yeah man, this is ridiculous, why don't you send out your own invitations?" said Riley.

"Would you care to be sent back the dungeon?" asked Gary coldly. The group remained silent at that one and Gary smiled, satisfied. "Good," he said again. "You all are to go down to the mailroom, just down the hall, and stamp each one individually before putting it through the slot. You will have this done before dinnertime, where you will meet Raul and I in the dining room, and then it will be off to bed after. Do we have an understanding?"

"I guess so," said Mike as they prepared to lumber off to the mailroom.

"And Emily?" Gary called once more.

Emily turned around. "Yes?" she answered coolly.

"No magic," said Gary. Emily sighed in disappointment and went to follow the others down. She had been hoping to be able to use the flute for this, but her uncle was just planning on being the royal asshole he was.

Back in the other room, Raul turned to Gary. "Sir," he said. "Didn't you already send the invitations days ago?"

Gary smiled evilly. "Yes, I did, but I figured a few hours of labor would be enough to torture that group and keep them busy."

"Sir, I don't believe I've ever been happier with you," said Raul.

"I think you will be once they are gone for good," said Gary.

"You're right there," said Raul.

The group had made it to the mailroom, a dark, dank area next to an open window that let in all of the cold air and snow from outside. There was a small wooden table, a stamp with an ink pad, a quill pen, and some very small wooden chairs.

"Okay gang, let's get set," said Mike, sitting down very carefully on one of the chairs. Brushing some snow off of the table, he flung the sack of invitations up on it and took a handful out. "This is gonna take a while."

"This is bullshit," said Robbie. "I'm not doing it."

"Them we're only gonna be stuck down here for longer, now come on over and stamp some damn invitations!" Mike yelled, at about the end of his rope with Robbie. Robbie sighed and went over to the rest of the group to help with the stamping. This would be a mighty long afternoon.

"Ow! Papercut!" Peter yelled after slicing his finger on an invitation.

"Here Peter, let me," said Emily, coaxing him over like a little lost kitten. Peter held his cut finger up to Emily and she played a few notes, and Peter's finger stitched back up in no time.

"Wow, thanks Emily!" Peter exclaimed.

"Well, I figured if Mike could mend my broken leg, I could fix your papercut," said Emily. "It's not a problem, just be careful next time."

"I will," said Peter, going back to his work. Oh well, thought Mike. At least they could enjoy each other's' company while they were stuck down in this hellhole.


	27. Chapter 27

Emily and Mike snuck back up to Mike's room later that night after another lesson on the flute spell with Al. "I still can't believe Gary had us do all that crap," Mike complained once they entered his room. "He could have done all those invitations in a snap."

"I could have done them all in a snap if he'd let me use the flute," said Emily. "But I suppose he just wants to torture us. I'm just glad that dinner didn't get out of hand."

"Yeah, that's a good thing," said Mike. "I don't think Raul can take any more aggravating from us. Have you seen him lately?"

"Oh God yes," said Emily, flinging herself on the bed. "He looks like he'll snap any second. But I wouldn't mind to see it. I'd imagine it'd be quite comical."

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" said Mike, laughing. "Okay babe, we'd better get some shuteye before tomorrow…hell knows what you're crazy uncle's gonna make us do then." He made his way over to the bed and sat as well.

"Good idea," said Emily. "Al wore me ragged tonight…that was one tough lesson."

"Yeah, but time's running out for you to learn in properly," said Mike. "God Emily, I really hope you can pull this off. It's so risky."

"Mike, don't you believe in me?" asked Emily.

"Oh Emily, of course I believe in you, why would you think I didn't?" asked Mike. "I'm just worried about you, that's all. Worried about all of us."

"I am too," said Emily.

"Come on Em, we both need some sleep," said Mike. They laid down beside each other in bed, and drifted off to sleep with a single kiss.

Early the next morning, the pair was awoken by a sharp rapping at the door once more. Mike grumbled and groaned incomprehensibly as he got up out of bed to answer the door. Once again, Mike and Emily were greeted by Davy, Peter, and Micky, all smiling nervously and waving. "What in the hell does that ridiculous man want now?" asked Mike, only guessing that Gary sent them.

"We thought you might ask that," said Micky.

"Well?" said Mike impatiently. "What did he send you for? Did he tell you?"

"He wants to do that silly little audition thingy for him…uh…right now," said Davy.

"You've gotta be kidding me," said Mike. "Does he need everybody?"

"Na, just us four," said Peter.

"He doesn't want Emily?" asked Mike.

"No, he said just us," said Micky. "Weird that he doesn't want Emily to tag along, but I guess Gary wants to deal with as little people today as possible. Can't say I blame him for how we've been being, to be honest."

"Okay," said Mike. "Emily, you awake?"

"Yeah," groaned Emily from the bed without moving a muscle.

"All right," said Mike, walking over to her. "I'll be back Em, probably won't be too long, and if it is, don't be worried, just gonna be playing some music."

"We hope," said Peter.

"Shut up Peter," said Davy, kicking him in the shins. "Do ya wanna scare her?"

"Davy, I wouldn't dream of it!" said Peter, completely void of sarcasm and all serious.

"Davy, he really couldn't," said Micky.

"I'm not scared," said Emily groggily. "Just go, good luck…I'll probably still be right here when you get back…and if I'm not, you shouldn't worry either."

"Okay Em, I won't," said Mike. He bent down to give her a quick kiss before he walked over to the others. "You be careful now, okay?"

"I'll be fine Mike," said Emily with laughter in her voice.

"Come on, before Gary has us thrown in the brig again," said Davy. The band walked out and Mike softly closed the door as if Emily was still asleep.

"Mike, I think you watch over that girl now more than ever," said Peter. "You don't still think her head's full of hot air anymore, do you?"

"Of course I don't Peter, you know that," said Mike as they walked to the study where Gary had everything set up. "What kind of a silly question is that?"

"Well, it is obvious that you're worrying about her a great deal," said Davy. "Don't get me wrong, we all are, but you most of all."

"I love her, why on earth would I not worry?" said Mike. "She's about to do something huge that may cost her own life, along with ours, possibly, if she gets it wrong, her crazy uncle's out to get her, we're still not home…and Emily's in the most danger out of all of us. Of course I'm worried fellas…"

"We understand Mike," said Micky. "But you said that Al has a good handle on her, right?"

"Better than anyone I've seen," said Mike.

"Even you?" asked Micky.

"Hell yeah," said Mike with a smile. "I always knew that Al was a good guy." They got to the door of the study where Gary was. "Okay guys, this is it."

"I dunno why this is so nerve-wracking," said Peter, pondering. "It's just like any old audition we've done."

"Yeah, except Gary's a wackjob who'll probably kill us if we're a second later," said Davy. "Come on fellas, let's get on in there." The group went through the doors and saw the bandstand set up as it was before, except instead of Robbie, Riley, and Emily sitting cheerfully in the seats, Gary and Raul sat stony bored, and, in Raul's case, grumpy.

"Ah!" exclaimed Gary. "You've finally made it! Come, get your things together and start. I trust that you have enjoyed your provided equipment?"

"Oh, yes sir, it's been great!" said Peter cheerily, trying to keep his nerves in check. Of course, he would drop his bass, him being Peter Tork and all. Grinning nervously, he bent down to pick it back up, shaking. "Yeah…sorry about that," he said, hoping that Gary wouldn't come up there and do something bad to him.

"It's quite all right Peter," said Gary. "There are plenty more where that came from, I can assure you."

"Just don't do it again," growled Raul.

"Gee Raul, who pissed in your Corn Flakes this morning?" asked Micky.

"You did," said Raul flatly.

"Gosh, I don't remember that at all," said Micky. "I think you have the wrong guy there man."

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" said Raul harshly.

"Raul, let us not make our guests and musicians in a bad mood," said Gary cheerily. "Come boys, play for me, show me what you have practiced!"

"I guess we'll just do the two we did in practice the other day," said Mike.

"Fair enough," said Davy. "Ready to start us off on the first one Peter?"

"Gotcha!" said Peter once he was sure his bass wasn't going to fall again. Just like in the practice, he started the band out with the bass intro riff to "You Just May Be the One" and the whole band joined in.

Gary had to say he was rather impressed with the boys. That Mike didn't have the worst voice in the world. A bit rough for his taste, yes, but it was worth listening to. He could even tell Raul was enjoying a little bit, although he was still trying very hard to keep the sour expression on his face. It was a nice little tune. A love song—a little sappy for Gary's taste, but a good rock and roll ballad all the same.

The boys played their final note and looked to the two villains for approval, however strange it seemed. "Well?" asked Mike. "What did you think?"

"I rather liked it," said Gary. "What did you think Raul?"

"I could stomach it," said Raul.

"I guess that means you pass," said Gary. "Or do you have one more?" He was getting curious about the boys' playing ability, although they were going to be dead by the end of the celebration anyway.

"Yeah we have one more!" Peter said excitedly, not remembering that he was playing for evil crooks. "Micky?"

"Yeah man, let's do it," said Micky. "Start us off Mike!" Mike nodded and started the opening chords to "The Girl That I Knew Somewhere." Once more, Gary had to say he was pleasantly surprised. Micky had an astonishingly strong voice and his ability to sing and drum at the same time was appalling. It was another very nice song as well, a more upbeat ballad than the last one. Songs like these appeared to be the band's specialty. That song ended, and Gary looked upon them with shocked approval.

"Very nice, boys," said Gary. "I trust you will do very well at the party."

"Gee, thanks sir," said Peter. "We always practice hard!"

"Glad you approve of it sir," said Mike. "Are we free to go now?"

"As free as ever," said Gary. "Go, be on your way while Raul and I discuss, but I will not deny you a spot on the stage at the celebration."

"Thank you," said Davy on the guys' way out. "Don't discuss too hard, it might hurt!" Raul gave him a burning look as they walked out, obviously infuriated by Davy's stupid little comment. Once the boys were out, Raul turned to Gary.

"I hate those boys," said Raul bluntly.

"Yes, I know, I do too, but I cannot deny that they are not the worst musicians I've ever heard," said Gary. "What did you think of them?"

"Worthy for toe-tapping," said Raul. "I just can't shake their original impression. But yes, before you kill them, they will put on a worthy show."

"As I think," said Gary. "You know, I enjoyed it so much that I will feel rather bad about having them killed…" He finished with an evil smile and he and Raul burst into fits of laughter.

"Sir, if I know you, you never feel bad about killing a_nybody_," said Raul through his laughing.

"Not even my own brother Raul, not even him," said Gary. "Things will go as planned. Do we have replies to the invitations _I _sent, and not the phony ones I made the kids send?"

"Yes, fortunately, everyone will be able to attend," said Raul. "You will have quite the audience for the public execution of Emily by your composition, I daresay."

"That is the plan," said Gary.

_Back with The Monkees:_

"Do you think it's true though?" asked Davy once they were back in Mike's room. "Did Gary _really _like us?" The group was gathered in Mike's room again, with Emily now awake and Robbie and Riley visiting. "I mean…he's a crook…but do crooks like good music?"

"I guess it depends on your definition of 'good music'," said Robbie. "Who knows, maybe it was all an act. I can say for myself though, I did enjoy when you were practicing."

"But you're not a crook," said Peter.

"Says who?" said Mike.

"Mike, cut it out," said Emily. "You a_re _past all of that, aren't you?" Riley laughed as Mike bowed his head in submission.

"A little," Mike mumbled.

"Hey, it's a start," said Micky.

"But seriously…" said Davy. "I'm stuck guys, really! Could it be possible that our music, _The Monkees' _music, is speaking to a horrible villain? I mean, this could be a breakthrough!"

"It could be possible," said Emily. "I mean, your music is all about love and peace and everything groovy…my uncle's a bad man, but you never know what's really going on in that head of his…although he did kill my father…but music does things to you. Hell, I should know, just look at what my flute does!"

"It's true, music is magic," said Riley. "Davy dear, you could be right."

"I could be, huh?" said Davy, puffing up. "David Jones, always right, I am!"

"Don't let it get to your head Davy, it'll explode," said Mike. "And besides, I think we have other things we need to worry about."

"Like what?" asked Peter.

"Like why this guy wants us to play at this party in the first place," said Mike. "And what exactly is going to happen at it. Emily I'm worried for you."

"I know you are," said Emily sounding like a put-off teenage kid. "If it hasn't occurred to anyone, I'm worried for me too."

"Sorry Em," said Mike. "But…you know."

"I know Mike, I understand," said Emily. "Just—tension."

"Way ahead of you there man," said Micky. "And I think Mike has a point—are we supposed to be a distraction for some evil plot?"

"Uhg, I'd hope not," said Peter. "I'd hate for our music to be used to facilitate evil."

"I hope it won't Pete," said Mike. "But we do gotta play at this thing."

"What would happen if you don't?" asked Robbie. "What's the worst t could happen?"

"Well, we could get killed for not obeying orders for one," said Mike. "And I don't think anyone here wants that." Peter gulped.

"Oh, heavens no!" said Riley. "But what if you do play…what then?"

"I don't know," said Mike. "That's the whole problem here." Of course no one was sure about anything right then. For all the boys knew, no one would die, but then again, they knew how terrible Gary Rowe could be, and how badly he wanted that flute. If he killed his own brother to clear a path, he'd get the flute by any means, even if it meant killing every single person at that party. The more and more Mike thought about it, the less and less he was looking forward to that party, if he ever looked forward to it at all.

"Well…" started Emily. "I think the only way to find out is to ask...but that's a _horrible _idea."

"Yeah Emily, you said it," said Micky. "Play the waiting game then?"

"Seems the only thing we can do," said Mike.

"I'm scared," said Peter.

"Pete, you're always scared of something," said Mike. "Buck up!"

"Trying," said Peter. Mike knew that Peter wasn't the only one who was scared at all. Mike himself was scared too, and he didn't think he hid it that much. Of course he went through earlier how he was scared for Emily. The woman he loved, truly loved, and wasn't just some quick fling or failed romance, was in terrible danger. He couldn't bear to lose her, not while he was sure that she just may be the one. Just like the song…Mike chuckled at the thought. He must have known in his heart that she was out there while he was writing it.

"Mike, are you okay?" asked Davy.

"Oh—uh—yeah, I'm fine," said Mike, snapping out of his troubled mind.

"Okay, you just kind of spaced out there for a moment," said Davy.

"I'm okay," said Mike. "Just—lost in thought."

"You looked like you were navigating forests in your head then," said Emily. Mike laughed and put his arm around her. As frightened for he as he was, he was sure that Emily Rowe could hold her own, although he would never have guessed it upon their first meeting.

"For a moment there I was darling," said Mike. "But it's okay…the trees can be nice."

"Mike, have I ever told you that you have an affinity for being cheesy?" asked Micky.

"Yes, several times, at the audition practice," said Mike. "Now quit it, I think the big cheese here is Davy anyway."

"Oh boy, you've got that right!" said Riley, wrapping her arms around Davy.

"Funny, I thought he was the not-so-big cheese," said Peter. And of course, as all Peter-isms went, it was laughed at for a very long time. They may as well take advantage of the laughter, for come the end of the week, only a couple days away, they would not be laughing a whole lot.


	28. Chapter 28

The next couple of days passed like heavy stones, each one getting closer to the group's supposed doom. Mike and Emily sat with Al in the basement in what was the final flute lesson on the spell the night before the party.

"Al, I'm frightened," said Emily, putting down the flute after making it through the piece sans-playing once more. "I have to play this tomorrow, and I just don't feel ready!"

"Emily, I think you are more than ready," said Al. "Mike, what do you think?"

"Em, you can do it," said Mike. "You're just feeling unsure, I understand."

"I know," said Emily. "I don't think I've ever felt so unsure in my life." She sat back on the wall and sighed. "This could all be over soon."

"It could be, and it will," said Al. "All you have to do is believe it will be."

"I'm trying my best," said Emily.

"Okay then," said Al. "Let's try it from memory again." He took the sheet away from Emily's sight and sat back. "Go on," he said. Emily nodded and fingered the notes and rhythms while mimicking the articulations again.

"Why are you having her memorize it?" asked Mike. "Won't that make it more risky?"

"Quite the contrary Mike," said Al. "What would be risky is Emily walking into that party with the flute and spell on paper together. If she were to lose the spell, who the hell knows where it will end up? Gary could get his grimy little paws on it, and if the flute is in the same room, even with Emily guarding it with her life, Gary could still take it by force and play the spell himself."

"And that would lead to disaster," said Mike.

"Yeah, you understand," said Al. "If Emily memorizes the piece, which she has been working very hard to do and has been successful at it, there will be no risk of Gary ending up with the spell."

"Done," Emily piped up once she finished.

"Good job Emily," said Al. "Once more? This time make sure you breathe more evenly." Emily nodded and went into it again. "Just glad to say," Al started again. "No matter what Gary's intentions about this party may be, I'm gonna be glad to get out of this trash heap for a while, even if it means only for my last few hours of life."

"Man, don't say that Al, we'll get you outta here!" said Mike. "I swear it."

Al chuckled softly. "Mike my boy, you can't swear anything these days," said Al. "But I appreciate the promise anyway, and I'm gonna hold you to it!" Mike and Al laughed at each other and Al went back to give Emily his full attention. She finished and looked up to Al for his approval.

"Was that better?" she asked.

"Much better Emily," said Al. "I think you should go over it here a couple more times for consistency and you can be on your way."

"Okay," said Emily. She held her flute up again, but sighed and put it back down. "Al, are you sure I'm ready for this?"

Al leaned forward and put his hand on Emily's shoulder. "Emily," he said. "I think you are more than ready. You can do this, I know you can."

"I know," said Emily. "It's just that…I haven't done anything _close _to this since I got my hands on this thing."

"Yes you have Emily," said Mike. "What about stopping that storm back there? Hell, if I know anything, that was pretty powerful! Damn near knocked you out cold again! And remember what we figured out before? About how the flute works? Emily, if you truly want it to happen, it will. That's how you stopped the storm and how I healed your leg. Strong will, and I know damn well how badly you wanna get home."

"Mike's right," said Al. "I know you're anxious, but you need to have a little faith in yourself. Okay Emily, let's take it from the top without the music again." Emily did as she was told, going over the piece a few more times. After the third or fourth time, Al gave her a nod.

"Emily, I think you're ready," said Al. "Go on, you and Mike should get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow's going to be a big day."

"You said it Al," said Mike. "Come on up Em." Emily just stood there clutching her flute. "Emily," said Mike again, walking over to her. "You can still practice tomorrow before the party if you need to. It's okay, it'll be fine."

"You're right," Emily muttered. She stuffed the sheet of music into her pocket again and followed Mike out of the basement.

"I guess I'll see you all later tomorrow," said Al. "Pleasant dreams you two, and don't stay up too late!"

"Yeah Al," laughed Mike, knowing what he meant by the gleam in the older man's eye. "Trust me, we'll be fine."

"Just making sure," said Al. "You young folk!"

"Yeah, young folk are wild," said Emily. "Well…till tomorrow, I guess. Goodnight Al!"

"Goodnight guys," said Al as Mike and Emily finally left the basement.

"Are you gonna be okay Emily?" asked Mike while they walked back to his room.

"I'll have to be," said Emily. "Yeah, it's scary, but it's something we've known was coming for a long while now. I just have to do it, for all of us." Mike and Emily approached Mike's room and he opened the door, letting both of them inside.

"You're completely right Emily," said Mike. "Remember, you want this to happen, right?"

"Of course I do," said Emily, getting into bed. "Very bad. I don't think I've been this homesick since I first left home."

"I'll tell you something Em," said Mike as he got into bed next to her. "So am I."

"Well, provided that this works tomorrow, we shouldn't be homesick for long," said Emily.

"I like the way you think Emily," said Mike, holding her close. "Come on now, let's last the night." Emily came in close to Mike, and he could tell how afraid she was for tomorrow. She wasn't as warm as usual, and she felt very distant. It was up to Mike and the others to get her back on her feet for what was to come. As sleep took them both, they tried not to think about it for fear of dreams.

The next morning, there was no loud knocking on the door, which Mike was very happy about as he and Emily were able to wake up on their own without some sort of annoying alarm. Without getting out of bed, Mike's eyes opened to the light that came pouring in through the window and onto the sheets. Next to him, Emily stirred, still pretty much asleep. He figured he'd let her sleep a little longer before he let her get the full realization of what today was. Of course, and Mike guessed it would happen too, there was a knock at the door. This time, Emily jerked awake as Mike went to answer the door.

"You don't suppose it's about later, do you?" asked Emily, wide-awake.

"I wouldn't be surprised," said Mike as he turned the handle and opened the door. Of course, there as Micky, Peter, and Davy at the doorway. "Well, what do you know?" greeted Mike. "Gary sent his errand boys for me again!"

"Very funny," said Davy.

"Seriously, if he needs to give me information, then why doesn't he come in here himself?" said Mike.

"Think about it man," said Micky. "If you were a girl's uncle, no matter how evil, would you really like to see your niece in bed with some weird Texan guitar player who wears a green wool hat?"

"I have to say you got me there," said Mike. "But still…what does he want now?"

"He wants all of us to be downstairs," said Peter. "Robbie and Riley are already there…dunno what he wants."

"Probably about the party," said Emily. "We're going home tonight guys, don't you worry."

"I take it you're feeling better Emily?" asked Mike.

"Much!" said Emily. "I just needed a good nights' sleep, that's all." Of course she was kidding herself. She was terrified at what might happen later, but she felt that in order to feel good, she must act happy, even if it was a complete farce. Plus, worrying Mike had proved not so good in the past; she figured that staying out of _that _minefield was in everyone's best interests.

"Well then that's good," said Mike. "Well, I guess we'd better head down and see what the crook wants." Once Mike and Emily were put together, the group headed down to the dining room. There they saw Robbie and Riley standing with Gary and Raul. "So, what's the deal now?" asked Mike once they arrived.

"Surely you haven't forgotten what today is!" said Gary.

"Oh, no, I haven't," said Mike. "I just have no clue why you called us down here, and neither does anyone else. I figured it would be smart to ask."

"Quite right, I apologize," said Gary.

"Does this mean we get another apology breakfast?" asked Peter, quite eager.

"No Peter, you have a party, remember?" said Gary, trying not to fume, but Raul was already doing that to the side anyway. "That is why I called you all down. Emily, Riley, come forward!"

Emily and Riley shyly walked to Gary, wondering what in the world he was going to do with them. "Whatcha want?" asked Riley.

"I have some lovely gowns for you to look at for this evening, if you will follow my maids," said Gary. He clapped once, and two other women appeared to take the two girls away. "Do not worry boys, they are quite safe. It's just a few gowns."

Yeah, for now, Mike thought. Before you try and murder all of us somehow. Oh well, the group had to put up the friendly front until they got the hell out of this place anyway. "What do ya have for us sir?" asked Robbie, his arms crossed. "Not to be forward or anything."

"You're not forward at all," said Gary. "I have some nice suits set up for you boys, your measurements have been taken in your sleep."

"Gee, that's…settling…" said Davy.

"By whom, may I ask?" asked Micky suspiciously.

"It is not a job I am proud of," growled Raul, actually embarrassed. "Some of you need to watch what you sleep in…" All eyes turned to Mike, who with no doubt had been with Emily in the nude a handful of times. Mike stayed straight-faced and said nothing. Davy was also a worthy culprit with Riley…why weren't they looking at him? Oh, of course, because Mike was sleeping with the evil guy's nice, how could _that _be forgotten?

"All that aside," said Gary, obviously a little uncomfortable. "Your suits will be in each of your rooms by now. Go and see if they fit; you may need adjustments done."

"I will not be doing them," said Raul. "I've already seen too much." Peter snickered and Mike kicked him in the shin before giving a look to Davy, who returned it with a wry grin of understanding.

"Alright fellas, let's get back to our rooms and see what we got," said Mike. He gave a nod to Gary and Raul; Gary returned it with a polite nod back, and Raul with the same glare he always seemed to have on his face nowadays. The group headed off to their rooms to try on whatever it was that was left in their rooms.

_With Emily and Riley:_

"Alright there girls," said the first maid once they had led Emily and Riley to the wardrobe room. "The gowns are in the closet; choose whatever ones you want!"

"Gee, thanks ma'am," said Emily, digging through the many dresses. Yes, her life was at stake today, as were the lives of her friends, but she had to admit…she could not resist pretty clothing, not even today.

"Yeah, these are really something," said Riley, pulling out a deep purple gown.

"No dear," said the second maid. "What _you _need is a nice forest green. It will do wonders for your hair! So red!"

"And maybe a nice sky blue for you dear," said the first maid to Emily. "Say…you're the girl who has the flute, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," said Emily, intrigued that one of Gary's maids would know about the flute. "Is there something wrong?" Maybe she could get some information out of her.

"Oh, many a thing my dear," said the first maid, still searching through the closet to find the perfect dress for Emily. "Now, I don't know if it's true, but I've heard talk of your uncle plotting to kill you tonight!"

"That's rubbish," said the second maid, who had found a beautiful dark green one-sleeved gown for Riley and was helping her try it on. "Why on earth would a man kill his own niece?"

"Oh, Wilma, he's a terrible man," said the first maid.

"Terrible as he may be Julia, he's no murderer," said the second maid, Wilma.

"Wait," said Emily. "Julia, did you by any chance hear him say how he'd kill me?"

"I didn't hear a peep about that, I'm sorry to say," said Julia.

"You'd better be careful Emily," said Riley. "Do you think he may do it with the flute again? You know, like how he got you all here to the island in the first place?"

"It's possible," said Emily. "I guess I better be careful what I play tonight then."

"Here you are dear," said Julia, holding out a lovely, strapless pale blue gown, shimmering. "This will look beautiful on you, it's just the color of your eyes."

"Thank you ma'am," said Emily, excepting the gown. If she indeed _was _going to die tonight, although she hoped and thought that she wouldn't, at least she'd die looking pretty.

_With the boys:_

The guys had gathered in Mike's room again once they were all dressed in their suits and adjusted as needed. "I know this probably isn't the right thing to focus on at the moment," said Davy, fixing his tie. "But what exactly do you think the girls are gonna look like tonight?"

"Davy, you never stop thinking about the girls," said Mike. "I'd imagine they'd look very nice; beautiful."

"Oh, e_specially _Emily!" gushed Micky jokingly in a feminine voice. "I bet she'd look just s_tunning!" _

"Cool it Mick," said Mike. "But yes…I'd have to say you're right."

"Hey, what's wrong with Riley then?" retorted Davy.

"Yeah, my sister's got looks," said Robbie. "But I must agree on Emily…"

"Watch yourself Rob," said Mike with warning in his voice. "I forgave you, but that doesn't mean that I won't snap."

"Please don't Mike," said Peter, who was in the corner again. "I'm still scared…this just seems like the perfect setup for a multi-murder!"

"Calm down Peter, Emily's ready to get us out of here once the party gets busy enough," said Mike.

"She has the spell down?" asked Robbie.

"Yeah, I've been down with her for every lesson," said Mike. "She's got it. She's scared as all get out, but she has it."

"Hey, I don't blame her," said Micky. "I'd be scared if the fate of all my friends was in my hands."

"But you'd save us, right?" asked Peter, looking sick.

"I may have to make a few sacrifices…" said Micky. Peter looked very uncomfortable then; Davy and Mike gave Micky a death glare that shut him up.

"I have the _utmost _faith in that girl, I'll tell it straight," said Davy.

"We're going to have to," said Mike. Just then, there was a rap at the door. "Think that's them?"

"Only one way to find out!" said Davy, looking eager to answer the door. He got up with a wry grin, rubbing his hands together. "Hello ladies!" he greeted as he opened the door, but instead of Emily and Riley, all dressed up in their finery, there stood Gary and Raul. "Ooh…" Davy squeaked and backed off.

"Yeah Davy, the girls sure do look good!" said Micky, only heightening Davy's embarrassment.

"I trust that was a simple misunderstanding Davy," said Gary. "You were obviously expecting the girls. I may remind you that they tend to take longer to ready in these situations."

"Yeah, tell me about it," grumbled Robbie. "Growing up with a sister."

"Uh, try three," said Micky.

"Touché," said Robbie.

"I've come to tell you that news," said Gary. "And to confirm that you will be playing at the party tonight as well."

"Yes, we are," replied Mike.

"Very well," said Gary. "I would also like to inform you that you will also be sharing the stage with Emily, who will be playing her flute. I have not informed her yet, but I have no doubts that she will be ready and willing."

"Yeah, she will be," said Mike skeptically. "Thanks for letting us know."

"Not a problem," said Gary. "Come Raul, let's leave them to their conversation."

"The girls will be back shortly," said Raul stuffily. "In the meantime, _please _enjoy yourselves." With that, the two left the room and shut the door.

"Why do you suppose Gary wants Emily to play?" asked Davy.

"Well, variety never hurt anything!" said Peter.

"No Peter!" said Mike. "Remember the last time Gary had Emily play? On the street? He could be planning to kill her with whatever music he has planned for her to play."

"Gotta say though, it seems like the perfect crime," said Micky.

"Yes, it is," said Mike. "Which is why we need to prevent it."

"Maybe Emily could play her spell at the time she is supposed to play whatever Gary wants her to play instead?" asked Robbie. "Gary doesn't know she's been practicing the spell, does he?"

"No, not as far as I know," said Mike.

"And _that _is the perfect sabotage to the perfect crime!" said Micky.

"You said it mate," said Davy. "I hope Emily doesn't come back too late before we can tell her the plan."

"I hope so too Davy," said Mike. "But if she doesn't come back, I'm going to go looking for her. She has to know this."

"I agree," said Robbie. Well, they found one more thing out. One more thing that could possibly save them all, and it would be even easier to get it done than they thought. They were all thankful that Gary didn't see the huge hole in his plan. Mike just hoped they didn't find it too late.


	29. Chapter 29

A couple hours later, Emily and Riley rushed down to Mike's room, fully dressed in gowns, where they were sure everyone must be now, and of course they were right. They had to tell the others what the maid Julia had told Emily. Although Wilma had disagreed, Emily had to believe Julia…it made too much sense. They screeched to a stop once they reached Mike's door, and wondering how the hell they were able to run that fast in heels, both Emily and Riley knocked wildly at the door.

Inside, Davy heard the knock and got up eagerly again to answer, but Mike pushed him back and answered the door himself. "We don't need you making a fool out of yourself again Davy," said Mike as he opened the door. Of course, this time it was the girls.

Riley was dressed in the one-sleeved and very bohemian forest green gown, embellished with little fabric flowers and her hair was halfway pinned back from her face with a black clip, leaving some of her ginger tresses framing her face. Emily was dressed in a grand, strapless sky blue ball gown that shimmered and shined and flared into a many-layered bell in the skirt. Her long hair was up, braided, and twisted into a golden braided crown around her head. Both girls looked absolutely beautiful with their clothing, hair, jewelry, and makeup, but they also looked deathly frantic and worried.

"Riley," breathed Davy as he got up slowly and pompously. "You look lovely my dear." He took her hand and kissed it, and Riley managed to snap out of her worried state for a second to giggle, until Emily gave her a look.

"You look great Emily," said Mike, rather struck by her beauty, but still wondered why the girls were so worried. Maybe they found out Gary w_as _planning on killing Emily. "What's wrong?"

"We just got some bum news," said Riley, walking in with Emily and closing the door, locking it, and making sure everything was completely shut. "Tell 'em, Emily."

"We just heard from one of the maids that Gary may be planning on having me killed tonight," said Emily. "Have you heard any suspicious talk?"

"Actually we just did," said Mike.

"Yeah, Gary and Raul were just in here a little while ago, and he told us that you would be playing your flute tonight," said Peter.

"We're thinking he's gonna try and pull of killing you and make it look like an accident," said Micky.

"Well…it appears that would fit together," said Emily. "What do you think I should do? I need to get out of this! I don't wanna die today, I can't, I look too good, and we've gotta get home, and I still need to play the spell—wait—that's it—the spell!"

"Yeah, I had that figured out already," said Robbie.

"Stop taking all the credit, we all agreed on it," said Mike. "But yes, that was the idea."

"What's the idea?" asked Peter.

"Come on Peter, you were here for this!" said Mike. "We were saying that Emily should play the spell instead of the piece Gary wants her to play."

"I just hope you're all right about this," said Riley. "Although I'm betting you are. Ya know, provided that Emily has the spell all worked out, this just may work!"

"Yeah, that's what we're banking on," said Micky. "You _do _have the spell ready, right Emily?"

"It's all set," said Emily. "I've been killing myself over it, but it's there."

"Okay, so it's all set," said Mike. "At least you know when you're going to play the spell now. It's like Gary just _handed _you the opportunity!"

"Are you gonna kill Gary too Emily?" asked Davy. "I know no one ever said anything."

"I may have to," said Emily. "If I don't kill him, he'll probably just come searching for me again. I'd hate to resort to that…but it may be our only chance to stay safe."

"Yeah, I agree," said Robbie. "That scum should have been dead long ago."

"What about Raul?" asked Micky.

"I could care less, he seems harmless on his own," said Emily. "He doesn't want the flute anyway."

"But he may wanna harm you," said Mike.

"All this violence," moaned Peter. "Is it really necessary?"

"Normally I'd say 'no', but here it is," said Emily. "It's terribly dreadful."

"Well, it's what has to be done," said Mike. "So, you suppose Gary's gonna give us another knock before he's about to come back in once the party's all set?"

"Suppose so, that's always what he does anyway," said Micky. "I guess we just wait then?"

"Seems so," said Mike. "Hey, Em, why don't you go over the spell a little bit, warm up?"

"Good idea Mike," said Emily.

"Why don't you all go back to your rooms or something?" Mike suggested.

"Aw, come on Mike, why?" whined Peter.

"Pete, he wants to be alone with Emily," Davy hissed in his ear.

"Why would he just wanna be alone with her?" asked Peter. Everyone, Micky, Davy, Robbie, and Riley gave Peter a "_seriously?" _look, and once Peter actually got it, he blushed and got up to leave.

"You need to take that kid to school or something," said Robbie on their way out.

"I would, but no sensible place would take him," said Mike. There was chuckling as the rest of the group left the room and shut the door.

"That's better now, ain't it?" asked Mike.

"Much," said Emily. "Love em, but I can't get overwhelmed right now…you really think I've got this?"

"I do," said Mike. Emily smiled and took out her flute and began to run over the spell.

"I wonder how it actually sounds," said Emily once she finished. "I can sort of tell from intervals between notes and stuff, but it's never the same until you play it."

"I'm guessing we'll find out tonight," said Mike. Emily nodded silently as she went over the piece again and again until Mike stopped her. "I think you deserve a break darling," he said.

"You sure?" asked Emily. "I mean, over-practicing is bad anyway." She put the flute on the bedside table and sat in silence. "What do you propose we do?"

"I dunno," said Mike softly. He took her in his arms gently and kissed her on the neck.

"Oh, for God's sake Mike, just kiss me," said Emily.

"I don't wanna mess you up," said Mike, nuzzling her neck. "You look so pretty Emily."

"Mike, I don't care, I can redo my lipstick," said Emily, sighing.

"But your hair," said Mike, caressing Emily. "It'll get ruined!"

"Mike, do you know how much hairspray went into this?" asked Emily. "It's not going anywhere, trust me."

"You're sure now?" asked Mike, sliding Emily's earrings out and nibbling on her ear. "Cause I'd hate to defile such a beautiful lady."

"Oh, just shut up and do it already," said Emily, tossing off Mike's hat and raking her hands through his hair.

"If you insist darlin'," said Mike, cradling Emily's delicate body as he gave her a kiss that shook her whole body and sent her head spinning wildly. Makeup could be fixed; right now, she didn't care about anything but Mike, and the sweet, sweet loving she would be getting as Mike's hand slowly crept up her skirt. She lay back, and writhing with pleasure, let him overtake her.

Some time later, Emily was by the mirror fixing her makeup. Her hair, as she was sure, was unmoved, and she was quite glad for that. All she needed on this day was for some silly boys to be laughing behind their hands at her and Mike as they walked over to the party. Once she was done, she walked over to Mike.

"Good as new?" she asked, spinning around.

"Terrific," said Mike. "So…almost there, eh?"

"Yeah," said Emily. She had gotten over the dizziness and giddiness of lovemaking quits fast when the reality had dawned on her, as it had for the millionth time already today. "I feel like I'm marching to my death."

"Well you're not," said Mike, messing with his tie in the mirror. "You're gonna save us all tonight, I know it."

"Seems everyone has their full trust in me but myself," said Emily.

"You should change that," said Mike. There was a knock on the door, and the two froze. "Well, here we are," said Mike again. "We should answer that."

"Yeah," said Emily. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door slowly with a shaking hand. Outside the door was Gary, dressed in a sleek tuxedo, his hair tied back with a velvet ribbon, looking quite grand and handsome.

"Emily my dear!" said Gary. "I thought I might find you here. May I say that you look stunning?"

"Thank you sir," said Emily softly.

"And Mike, you clean up well," said Gary. "Even that silly hat looks good on you today."

"Pleasure's all mine," said Mike. "Are the others there already?"

"Yes, the rest of your group is at the ballroom with Raul and a plethora of my other party guests," said Gary. "I figured that the guest of honor should make her grand appearance, and who better to escort her than you, Mike Nesmith?"

"Damn right," said Mike.

"If you two will follow me, I will direct you to the ballroom," said Gary, making a sweeping gesture out the door. "And Emily?"

"Yes/" Emily replied.

"You do have your flute with you, correct?" asked Gary.

"Yes, I do," said Emily, taking the flute from the bedside table.

"Good," said Gary. "I would very much like you to play a little tune for us today, of my work."

"I would be honored sir," said Emily, her voice dripping with venom.

"Very good," said Gary. He nodded for the two to follow him out the door, and out they went. They followed Gary in silence, both of their minds calculating what had to happen tonight to make whatever the hell they were planning work out. Mike could tell Emily was growing more and more uneasy by the second. Her face grew pale and he could almost feel her heart pounding, although he was not touching her. Mike was uneasy too—this night could only end one of two ways, and either of them could end badly.

"Here we are," said Gary, stopping at a pair of huge oak doors with gold handles. "Are you two ready to enter?"

"As ready as ever," said Emily with determination. "Open the doors Gary."

"As you wish, my dear niece," said Gary, almost snakelike. He pushed open the doors and stepped inside. Emily and Mike lingered near the doorway, staring inside. The ballroom was huge and grand with a marble floor, walls lined with large portraits and statues with a gigantic crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. There were tables and a dance floor that was flooded with beautifully dressed party guests, a string quartet playing classical music, and the stage set up for The Monkees to play on later in the evening. Mike was able to pick out Peter, Davy, Micky, Robbie, and Riley in the crowd.

"Attention, guests!" Gary's voice boomed through the hall. The string quartet stopped playing and all of the guests in the ballroom turned their attention to Gary. "I hope you are all having a splendid evening, and I must thank you once more for all of you who came. Now is a very important time of this evening—for today, you will be able to meet a very special young lady. She is my niece, Emily Rowe, the current keeper of the Rowe family enchanted flute, and our guest of honor tonight. This is a long-awaited reunion of her to the Rowe family. Treat her with the respect you owe to me, and then, even some more! Hold her to the highest esteem and love her as your own, as I do! Ladies and gentlemen, my I present to you, Miss. Emily Rowe!"

Applause erupted through the hall as Mike, with Emily clutching his arm, led her through the center of the room. The string quartet played a stately processional as the two continued down. Emily caught the eye of Al, who was there in the crowd as promised. He gave her a discreet but well-knowing nod, and Emily returned it with a graceful head bow as not to attract attention. Of course, Mike knew what the exchange was all about. What had to be done tonight. With the hand that was not gently holding his arm, Mike saw Emily clutching the flute as if she would let it go, she would drop dead at that very moment.

The pair got to the end of the hall and found their friends. "Hey guys, you doing okay?" asked Davy.

"Not too bad, but Emily looks scared shitless," said Mike. "You okay, Em?"

"As okay as I can be Mike," said Emily. "Hello, Al." Al was of course coming over to join them all, looking quite rushed.

"Hello Emily," said Al. "Boys!"

"Hey Al," said Micky. "Long time!"

"Yeah, too long," said Al. "Let's just say I'm glad to be out of that basement. Emily, are you _sure _you know e_xactly _what you're doing tonight?"

"I'm sure," said Emily. "Well guys…we're going home today."

"Emily," said Riley. "My brother and I have been talking…I mean, I dunno how you'd all feel about this, we were just discussing a couple days ago…"

"We would very much like to ask you to bring us back with you to Los Angeles," said Robbie. "I love my ship and all, it's great, but I'd love to get off of this goddamned island for good. But it's all up to you all."

"I would love to bring you two back with us," said Emily. "I see no problems. Guys?"

"Of course you can come!" said Peter brightly. "Boy would we love to have you back with us, you saved our lives, remember?"

"Yeah, I guess we owe you guys something," said Mike. He looked up at Robbie, and although there was still a conflict between them, they both smiled at each other. "Even you Robbie," said Mike, jokingly.

"I'd hope so," said Robbie. "I wouldn't leave my sister's side."

"Geez, not even for a few minutes?" said Riley. Her and her brother laughed for a moment.

"I wonder when Gary's gonna have us up there to play," said Micky. "We need to rock n' roll this place up!"

"In a few moments," said Raul, who had suddenly crept up behind them. His dark hair was slickly tied back from his handsome, chiseled face. "In the meantime, have some patients, and enjoy yourselves, for this is a party after all." He left with a sly grin on his face. Yes, he knew exactly what was going on, Mike could see it in his eyes.

"I tell ya, that guy makes me wanna spit," said Davy.

"Why would you wanna spit Davy?" asked Peter.

"Cause, he leaves a bad taste in my mouth," said Davy. "Man, speaking of taste, is there some good food around here? I'm starving!"

"Yeah, there are food tables over there," said Mike, nodding over to the side. "We best get something to eat before we get on stage. We need to play our best up there."

"Leave it to Mike to act like this is a normal gig while all of our lives are in danger, eh?" said Micky as they headed to the food.

"Micky, he's just trying to cope," said Emily. "Right Al?"

"Yeah," said Al. "You all know Mike; I'm sure everyone here knows by now that that's just how Mike is. He knows what's going on here. He's a smart guy."

"Tell me about it," huffed Peter.

"Peter, I think you're smart," said Emily. "You just have different ways of showing it, like me, okay?"

"I guess, when you say it that way," said Peter. "Oh, dessert!" Peter shoved in front of the group to get a piece of the huge chocolate cake that was sitting at the center of the table.

"Aw, come on Micky, that's dessert now, pure sugar, you're gonna ruin your appetite you are!" said Davy.

"Let him Davy," said Mike, who was piling food onto his own plate. "I think all of us deserve a little indulgence, especially now."

"In _that _case!" said Micky as he pretty much started to destroy the dessert table. The boys and Emily and Riley had their full of whatever food they had grabbed off of the table when Gary climbed onto the stage. He motioned to the side offstage to the strong quartet to stop, and he went to the onstage microphone to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" spoke Gary from the stage. "It is my grand pleasure to introduce the next group of people to be recognized here today, some dear friends of my niece, Emily. They have traveled a great distance to be here tonight."

"Yeah, more like kidnapped a great distance," Micky whispered to the guys.

"These four boys are terrific musicians," Gary continued. "They are a spectacular rock and roll band that call themselves 'The Monkees', and I will be honored to say that they will be playing a set here tonight, just for you, one night only!"

"If he means to kill us, then he certainly isn't doing good by saying 'one night only'," said Mike.

"Boys!" Gary called over to them. "Come on up, play for us!"

"Well, this is it!" said Peter. "You know guys, this could very well be our last gig, let's play it up!"

"Peter, it's not gonna be out last," said Mike. "Emily will get us out of here, I know she will." He was a little uncertain, but nowhere near as much as he had been when the idea was first mentioned. He felt the nervousness go into their playing as they went song after song on the stage though. After every applause, the time grew nearer and nearer to the time that Emily decided their fate, and he saw that Emily, Robbie, Riley, and Al in the audience knew it too. Once they finished their last song, the ironically upbeat "I'll Be Back Up On My Feet," they bowed and walked offstage to a loud applause that didn't quite make the cut to them.

"Now everyone, wasn't that something?" asked Gary, getting back on the stage, this time with a music stand and a sheet of music. The crowd answered with more applause which normally would have made Mike grin from ear to ear, but not now. "Now I have more for you, a little variety, let's say. Emily, my dear, come on up for us!"

Al put a hand on Emily's shoulder and looked deep into her eyes. "You can do this Emily Rowe," he said. "I know you can. You can save us all."

"I'll try my best," said Emily, holding back tears of fear. "I'm sorry if I fail you…"

Mike walked up to Emily and looked her squarely in the face. "You won't," was all he said, and he kissed her softly. "I love you Emily."

"I love you too Mike," said Emily back, turning her gaze back to her uncle on the stage.

Emily grew pale as she walked to the stage. Her feet were not visible under her long gown; it looked as if she floated like a ghost to her possible doom. She slowly made her way up the stairs to the stage, her heart pounding and pounding in her chest. Now that the time was so near, it seemed near impossible she could do it.

"Do not be frightened Emily," said Gary, setting up the music on the stand. "Play your heart out." He grinned coyly at his clever pun at her death.

"I will sir," said Emily, her voice shaking. Taking a deep breath, she faced the crowd with as much courage as she could muster.

"The poor girl has stagefright," said Gary. "It will be okay Emily."

"I know it will," said Emily, but as she tried to bring the flute to her lips, her arms were like lead. She looked at the piece of music on the stand, the piece that may kill her if she played it. It looked hard; harder even than her spell. Sharps and flats everywhere, to play it with a normal flute would mean death. But she would not have to worry about sightreading today—today would be a recital of her most practiced piece. A piece she didn't even know the sound of. It was time to play it.


	30. Chapter 30

Emily didn't know how long she'd been standing there, staring out into the crowd, which had not grown completely silent. She looked down at her friends, who were looking up at her nervously, pleading to her with their eyes to play and see what will happen. Gary, who was still next to her, looked extremely impatient. His arms were crossed and his foot was tapping. Emily looked from him to the crowd again and decided that her time was up.

"Emily?" asked Gary. "My dear…you need not be afraid. I wrote this piece _just _for you."

"I know you did," said Emily. Okay, it was now or never. She had to, no matter how much she thought it would end badly. All of those hours of practice were not going to be for nothing. She began to raise her arms up and the flute to her lips. Gary looked on with evil satisfaction. Of course he would, he thought he was killing Emily now. Raul was also in the crowd, exchanging looks with Gary. With a smug smile, Emily finally took a breath in, and let it go.

She didn't even look at the sheet of music that was on the stand in front of her—she wouldn't have anything to do with things Gary created. When she first started to play, Emily was surprised. Her fingers remembered the music extremely well; they almost felt robotic, falling where they were supposed to fall without much thought from Emily at all. But the music…it was quick, rapid, quite possibly the hardest thing Emily had ever played, and quite possibly the most beautiful.

The melody was free and wild and fantasy-like. Her eyes closed shut as she played the tune, but she forced them open to see what was going on around her.

The first thing she noticed were the party guests darting off in every direction, fighting to get out of the ballroom before the large chandelier that was hanging dangerously from the ceiling would fall. The floor was cracking, as if there was an earthquake inside the ballroom, and there was a strong wind, like the one in the storm.

Below, Mike was dashing around, avoiding the destruction in the room. Portraits were being blown off the walls and the floor was shaking and cracking. "Everyone, stay with me, stay together!" He shouted over the flute and the wind. The group stayed close by him as they watched Emily.

The wind was blowing her gown back and had set her hair free of its braid, and it was now blowing behind her like a storm of gold. Mike thought she looked dangerous and beautiful up there, her gown and hair whipping around as she played the loveliest music he had ever heard. A giant, black, swirling storm cloud formed above her, producing bolts of lightning and thunder and rain inside the ballroom. The wind was stronger than ever, the rain stinging their skin, and Mike could barely stand, let alone help his friends.

Back by the side of the stage, Gary was growing more and more furious by the note. This wasn't his composition! It sounded nothing like it, and Emily wasn't dead! His ballroom was ruined, his guests all fled, and his enemies still alive. He knew what she was playing. The spell, the all-powerful spell he had wanted to get his hands on all this time! He saw no music other than his though…but that little brat must have it somewhere if not here! He had to take the flute away of he was to ever find it. Fighting the wind and the rain, he started to climb up to the stage; to Emily.

"Emily, look out!" Davy cried, seeing Gary, but Emily couldn't hear anything over the sound of the music and the storm.

"Davy, I can't see, what's going on?" asked Mike over the wind, his eyes blinded by the hard rain.

"Gary's gonna attack Emily!" said Davy.

"Is he now?" said Al. "This is personal Mike, I've got this under control myself!"

"Al, don't, I'll go!" said Mike, trying to hold a marching forward Al back.

"Why, cause I'm old?" said Al. "I have a score to settle, I'm not gonna stand by, not this time!" Al broke free of Mike's grasp and he watched his blurry figure race to Emily and Gary. Gary was hungrily creeping up on Emily, who was oblivious by playing the flute. His hair was a wet, matted mess by now and his eyes were crazed. He looked little like the handsome man he was before. Just one move with his hand and he could end this all…

"Sir, look out!" Raul yelled from the side, but it was too late. Before Gary could so much as turn, Al came flying at him, knocking him off the stage and to the ground. They hit the floor with a thud and slid in the puddles that had gathered in the ground and Al bludgeoned him with punches.

"Keep playing Emily!" Al bellowed back. Although Emily didn't know what was going on outside of her playing, she somehow knew that she had to keep on playing. She could feel her strength waning, but she wasn't done yet, she couldn't be done.

The ground shook again and more cracks formed, one right under Micky's feet. He slipped and fell into it, holding onto the ledge for dear life. "Micky!" Peter yelled, and he rushed over. He grabbed onto Micky's hand, which was wet and slippery from the rain. "I can't hold him, someone help!" Peter pleaded.

"Coming!" said Robbie, slipping and sliding across the ruined tile to Peter and Micky. "Micky, give me your other hand!"

"Okay!" said Micky. He reached out to grab Robbie, but missed, grabbing thin air, and slipping more. "But I guess it helps to actually grab it, huh?"

"Just grab it Micky!" said Robbie.

"Okay, okay, I gotcha!" said Micky, this time actually taking Robbie's hand while still holding onto Peters. Both guys hoisted Micky out of the crack and back onto the floor. "Wow…thanks guys," said Micky, winded.

"No problem Micky," said Peter, sounding near tears. "We can't lose you, who'd play drums?"

"Hey, I can, remember," said Davy, shielding Riley from a flying chunk of crystal from the chandelier.

"Shut up you," said Micky, standing up. "Come on, we have to get some cover." They ran to the side where the floor had not yet cracked.

Mike's eyes were everywhere—on Emily, on his friends running for cover, and on Al and Gary, who were still fighting, with Raul to the side. The two were now upright and fighting like men, each landing blows on the other. Blood mingled with the rain as they fought on, Al trying to hold Gary back from reaching Emily. Raul tried to help Gary and attempted to pull Al off of him, but one of Gary's wild blows struck Raul and knocked him back into one of the large cracks. He slipped and with a yell he fell, grabbing onto the ledge.

"Help me!" He cried out. "Gary, help!"

"I'm fighting my own battles now Raul!" said Gary after giving Al a blow to the face. "Help yourself up, you've scaled this island, you can get yourself out of a hole!"

"Sir, I can't, it's wet, I'm slipping!" said Raul. And he was; he was gripping to that ledge for dear life. But Gary kept fighting, not caring to save his partner. "Help, somebody!" Raul cried out again.

Mike wheeled around, hearing Raul's calls and saw him hanging by just fingers. Forgetting all of the trouble he put them through, all of the lies he fed them, Mike ran over. "Hang on Raul, I'm coming!" he said, kneeling down. "Grab my hands!" Raul reached out with one of his rain-soaked hands and gripped Mike's. "Just hold on and don't let go Raul, I'll get you out of this!"

"Mike, I'm sorry," said Raul as he laboriously held onto Mike's hand. "Leading you all here was a big mistake, I should have tried to get you off the island! Gary only cares for himself."

"That's decent of you Raul," said Mike. "Now let's get you out of here." Mike started to pull, and pull, but Raul was very heavy with muscle. "Come on Raul, gimme some help here!"

"I'm trying," said Raul, trying to pull himself up. "It's slippery!"

"You can make it!" said Mike, but he was beginning to doubt it. He could tell Raul was trying his best, but he was still too heavy for Mike to hold. He was slipping fast, and the howling winds were making it hard for Mike to stay stable. "Raul, Raul, you're slipping, hold on!"

"I'm trying!" Raul grunted, but it was too late. Raul could no longer hold onto Mike's hand. With one final hopeless grip at Mike, Raul lost his grasp and fell into the crack in the ground. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Mike reached down in vain to try to save him, but he was already long lost. Mike stared down into the crack, wondering if Raul could have helped them if he got him out.

"Mike, Mike, what happened?" asked Davy, rushing over with Riley.

"I lost him," said Mike, overcome with guilt.

"Mike, he was a crook anyway," said Riley.

"He said he was sorry…sorry for everything," said Mike. "He was turning around…Gary wouldn't save him; he knew Gary was no good."

"Well, we have to worry about saving everyone else now," said Davy. "I'm sorry mate."

"S'okay," said Mike. He stood up and saw Emily was still playing. Trying to save Raul distracted him from her playing. He wondered why they weren't going anywhere yet. Maybe that spell had more power than anyone had originally thought.

Meanwhile, Al and Gary were still fighting. Every time Gary so much as looked Emily's way, Al landed a punch right smack in Gary's face. They were in the middle of the ruined, horrible room now. Gary looked like an absolute monster, his messy, wet hair matted with blood and sweat, his eyes cold, blue and full of malice, like a maniac. He gritted his teeth as he bore down on Al, right under the rickety crystal chandelier.

"Al, Al, look out, that thing's gonna fall!" Peter warned, his voice cracking, terrified.

"I've got him Peter, don't worry!" said Al, who now had Gary in a headlock. Of course, Al didn't notice the swinging chandelier above them.

"Al, move!" Mike bellowed, racing to Al and Gary. Al looked up, not releasing his hold on Gary, and saw the chandelier. It was swinging and threatening to come down on them. The storm was still going from Emily's spell back at the stage, and with a final gust of wind and lightning, the final ropes on the chandelier broke, sending it falling down from the ceiling. Mike darted to Al, but before Mike could push him out of the way, Al shoved Mike to the side, dropped Gary, and the chandelier came crashing down on both of them. When the dust settled, everyone rushed to the wreckage. Gary was nowhere to be seen under the mess, and all was halfway pinned under.

"Al, Al, are you okay, can you hear me?" said Mike frantically.

"Yeah…" croaked Al. "I'm okay kid…"

"Oh no, don't die on us man!" said Micky, chewing at his fingernails.

"I'm not gonna die," Al said softly. "Emily's almost done playing…it's almost finished…"

The group turned their heads over to Emily, who was still standing on the stage, finishing the final note of the piece. The vibrato slowed shakily, and Emily cut the note off perfectly. Mike got off of his knees and turned to see her. She looked utterly exhausted. Her makeup was runny from the rain, her gown had little tares, her hair was a windblown mess. Her body was shaking and her eyes facing forward as she made to leave the stage. Mike ran forward and caught her just as she was about to fall off. He carried her over to the group, who were still watching Al, and carefully avoiding any cracks or broken glass, he set her down gently.

"It didn't work…" she whispered feebly. "We're still here…I failed."

"No you didn't," said Al from under the chandelier. "There's still something that you need to do…your task is still not done."

"Al?" Emily said hopefully. "Al." She reached out a trembling hand and touched his arm. "Is everyone else alive?"

"All except Raul," said Mike, stroking Emily's face. "He fell down a crack…he's dead."

"I know," said Emily. "I saw it…I heard everything, I saw everything…but I couldn't do anything. The spell was too powerful to break away from it…I was right…it was too much…Raul was ready to help us. He could have gotten us out of here…but Gary let him die."

"But we can get out of here," said Mike. "You can still help us. We just have to figure out what's left."

"What could there be left?" asked Micky. "This room is in total ruin, and Gary's dead, that chandelier fell on him."

"Dead…" said Emily. "At least something good happened."

"Emily…" whispered Mike. "You'll be fine…just rest up and well figure out what to do once you've had your rest. You still have a chance."

"The spell was too powerful," said Emily. "Mike…I don't feel like I can make it."

"Emily, don't you dare say that!" said Mike, now very worried. "You can too make it!" The others watched on in anxiousness as Emily still lay on the ground, breathing shallowly, her grip on the flute and on Mike's hand getting less and less. Mike could see her fading away. He knew that she had spent her strength on the spell. He just didn't want to believe it.

"Mike…" Al whispered. "The flute…play it. It will heal Emily."

"Are you sure?" asked Mike, now feeling Emily get colder and colder.

"Yes," said Al. "She will die if you don't. Play."

Mike nodded and took up the flute. Peter replaced Mike's hand with his and gently stroked Emily's own hand as Mike put his fingers on the right keys. He took one last look at Emily's slowly closing eyes and he drew a deep breath. He blew a note, another, and then another after that, thinking all about Emily; how much he resented her when they first met, when he kicked her out and Peter and the others managed to talk him into reluctantly taking her back in. Hoe he started to grow fond of her back in LA, but then returned to resentment when they ended up on the island. Then he thought of the love for her that had started to grow within him, and was still growing even at that moment. Her smile, her laugh, the way she kissed him, the way they made love, the softness of her skin and hair, the sweetness of her being. He knew he couldn't bear to live a moment without her; if she were to die here, it would be the end. He felt agony just thinking about it. He loved her. He watched as tears fell down the still very weak girl's face and as the look of worry spread through the groups' faces, and Peter stroked her hand more and more, as if that would help any.

Mike finished the tune, put the flute down, and waited. At first it seemed nothing had happened, and Mike bowed his head in sorrow. But then the impossible happened. There was a soft glow of white light around Emily. Startled, Peter dropped her hand and scooted back to Mike. Mike, however, approached Emily with hope. The glow faded and Emily's eyes were wide open and she sat up slowly, as if she was just waking up in the morning. She looked around at all of the wreckage, at Al, the whole group, and then at Mike. She smiled and more tears fell.

"Emily!" Mike cried out in joy, and lunged at her, embracing her, and he kissed her passionately, holding her tighter than he had ever in his life. The parted and looked deeply into each other's eyes. "Emily, I'm so glad you're alive, said Mike, stroking Emily's face.

"Oh Mike, I thought I was going away for a minute!" said Emily.

"I did too," said Mike.

"Yeah, we all did," said Al, suddenly sounding stronger. "Now can someone get me out from under here? I can't breathe!"

"On it!" said Robbie, with help from Micky and Davy, hoisting Al out from under the wreckage of the chandelier. Miraculously, Al was able to stand upright.

"Geez Al, you sounded like you were dying a few minutes ago!" said Davy in wonder. "What happened?"

"I think some of Mike's spell made it over to me," said Al, dusting himself off. "Must say, that sure was a strong bit of magic."

"Well it had to be," said Emily. "I was about an inch from death."

"Em, let's not talk about that anymore," said Mike, shuddering.

"I agree," said Pete. "Emily, that was scary!"

Emily giggled. "It was," she said. She turned to Al. "Al, what was that you said about my work not being done?" Al was about to answer, but a voice behind her told her the answer before Al could so much as breathe in.

"I don't know what you mean by your work," growled Gary. "But my work is far from finished." Emily, along with everyone else, whipped around to see Gary had risen from the broken crystal and glass. He looked terrible; his face was all cut up, his hair a mess, his clothes shredded, covered in blood, sweat, and dirt. "Emily…give me the flute." He outstretched his hand and glared.

"No," said Emily simply, standing up. "I will not. It's mine."

"But it was supposed to be mine!" Gary said in a rage. "But your goddamned father, may the Devil rest his soul, had to be older, he stole it from me! It was supposed to be mine, and mine only!"

"This is getting more and more like _The Lord of the Rings _by the second," Peter muttered to Robbie and Micky on the side. "I mean…our Gollum fell down a hole, and now this flute is like The One Ring—" Mike shushed him sharply and Peter's eyes shot forward again.

"Just shut up, I know you killed him!" said Emily. "So save it! The flute was never meant to belong to you! You'd only do evil with it!"

"What you call evil, my d_ear, _I would call absolute power," hissed Gary. "Now give it to me you silly girl, you cannot handle its power, you see what you've done to this place!" He lunged forward at her without warning and grabbed the flute. Emily kept her grip on it strongly, but Gary spun her around and together they were doing some sort of perverse dance on the ruined dance floor.

Emily strained to keep the flute, but even though Mike had brought her back, she was still very weak. Gary kicked her back, sending her flying to the stage. She caught herself, but Gary had the flute. He held it up in victory, grinning like a spoiled child with his new toy. "Yes!" he cheered. "It is mine! I, Gary Rowe, finally have the Rowe family enchanted flute!"

"Oh no you don't!" said Mike. He ran forward to Gary. Al and Emily exchanged looks of understanding. Emily knew what to do…how could she have not seen it before? She nodded to Al, and Al back to her.

"Mike, stop!" she called, blocking him. Mike had no clue what she was planning, but from the look on her face, he knew she knew what she was doing. He backed off, and Emily looked up at Gary again. "Play," she said, and stepped back.

"So, you actually want me to?" said Gary smugly. "You want me to play?"

"Yes, I do," said Emily.

"Emily, are you stark raving mad?" shrieked Davy. "You can't let him do that, he'll tear you to shreds, and then us!"

"She knows what she's doing Davy," said Mike, looked to Al, who beamed.

"Giving up I see," said Gary as he raised the flute to his lips, but Emily said nothing back. There was a glint of pure evil in Gary's eye as he drew a breath in. The others waited in fear, but Emily stood her ground. And everything went to expectations—when Gary blew across the headjoint, naught but a whisp of air sounded.

"What?" he yelled, whipping the flute away from him. "This is impossible! Where is the music, the power?"

"Gary, have you ever played an instrument in your life?" asked Emily.

"Never," said Gary.

"Do you have a love for music, or is it purely power?" asked Emily. Gary didn't answer. "Just as I thought," said Emily. "Gary, you need to have the love for music in you to be able to use the flute properly."

"That's ridiculous!" sputtered Gary.

"It may be to you," said Emily. "But you need it. Thankfully I know the spell that can give it to you. I can play it into you if you just give me the flute." Of course, thought Mike. Gary's love of power! He couldn't refuse it! Gary shakily handed the flute over to Emily, who grinned at the pleading look on her uncle's face. Emily held the flute to her lips, ready.

"Well?" asked Gary, eager. "Play it for me! Now!"

"If you say so," said Emily. She began to play, and Gary, expecting great things, instead got thrown across the room and pinned to the wall. Emily took the flute away from her lips and stared Gary, who was fighting his invisible bonds, down. "And you actually thought I'd help you," she hissed. "You coward…horrible man…murderer…" She played a few high, fleeting grace notes, and a spear from one of the suits of armor came flying past her face and into Gary, pinning him to the wall, dead.

Emily dropped to her knees, drained. The group rushed to her aid, but they started to feel light as well. "Are we…going home?" asked Peter mistily as he felt he was floating.

"Yes…" said Emily, a smile growing across her tired face. "We're leaving…" She found Mike's hand and gripped it tight, and Mike found Micky's, and so on. Everyone was joined by hands as the trashed ballroom disappeared around them into swirls and shadows. They were going home.


	31. Chapter 31

Mike and the others sat in the waiting room in the hospital doing just what that room was meant for—waiting. Although Mike's tune on the flute had sufficiently healed both Emily and Al, they still had to be hospitalized. Once they had made it back to the pad, they piled everybody in The Monkeemobile and headed off. Al still had some cracked ribs and cute and bruises that needed tending to, and after all of the magic she had used, Emily was exhausted. Riley, Robbie, and Davy where in Al's room visiting while Micky and Peter where with Emily. Mike was sitting alone in the waiting room. He would go in to visit them all soon…he was just gathering himself up.

"Hey mate," said Davy, stepping out of Al's room with Robbie and Riley. "Al wants to see ya."

"Does he now?" said Mike. "Alright then, I'm headed off."

"Wait man," said Robbie, sticking his arm out. "I need to talk to you for a moment."

"Aw," said Riley. "I knew you'd soften up Robbie. Come on Davy, let's give them some space."

"Shut up Riley," said Robbie in the older brother way. Riley stuck her tongue out at him and Davy ushered her away from him and Mike.

"So?" said Mike. "What is it Robbie?"

"Listen man, I've been a jerk, a big fat jerk," said Robbie. "Everything I did to you about Emily…it was wrong, all wrong."

"Now ya admit it," said Mike with a grin. "You've gotten better though man, believe me. I saw you helping Peter to save Micky back there in the ballroom. That was decent of you."

"Yeah, just about the only decent thing I've ever done here," said Robbie. "I almost had Emily killed when she ran off on the mountain, and it was all because I couldn't keep my big mouth shut and didn't want to hurt my pride. I'm sorry."

"Hey man, it's okay," said Mike.

"I'm just glad you and Emily are happy," said Robbie. "And that she's with someone who won't view her as a plaything like I would have…she's a special girl. In more ways than one." A smile spread across Robbie's face that Mike understood. Yes, he was just crazy about that girl, but he still had to admit…she still had her interesting quirks.

"Yeah, you're right," said Mike.

"Good to know," said Robbie. "Okay, go see Al now."

Mike nodded and walked off to the other room. He was glad that Robbie dropped his pride and apologized to him. Mike and Robbie were similar in a lot of ways, he noticed, and a large, strong pride was one of those similarities. The ability to lose that pride, however, was hard for the both of them too. He got to the door to Al's room and opened it to see Al laying in his bed and looking out his window.

"Hey Mike!" He greeted, looking very well. "Come on in son."

"Hey Al," said Mike, pulling up a chair and sitting bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good," said Al. "Just had some cracked ribs, not too bad, I'm pretty much patched up now. How are you?"

"Not hurt," said Mike.

"That's good," said Al. "So…everything's back to normal, is it?"

"I sure hope so Al," said Mike. "It's good to be back."

"Yeah," said Al. "I sure can't wait to get back to the store…I wonder what sort of shape she's in."

"I'm sure the store's fine," said Mike. "Have you heard anything from Emily's room?"

"Not yet," said Al. "But I'm thinking that's a good thing."

"Yeah, it may be," said Mike. "Man…what a day…"

"It's already early morning," said Al. "We've been here all damn night long."

"We just wanted to make sure you two were okay," said Mike.

"Oh, I'm damn glad you did Mike!" said Al. "I may not look it, but I'm a big baby when it comes to pain."

Mike laughed. "Okay then, well, I'm glad we could fix that," he said.

"Go to Emily," said Al. "I'm sure she wants to see you, and I know for a fact that you'd rather be talking to her right now anyway."

"Oh, come on Al, that ain't true," said Mike.

"No, you come on," said Al. "A beautiful young lady or an old man? Just go Mike." He finished with a laugh and a smile.

"Okay Al, if you insist," said Mike. He really did want to see Emily after all. "I'm out, I'll probably come back later."

"Take your time kid," said Al. "I won't be moving any time soon!" Mike laughed and walked out of the room. He wondered how Emily was. If no one said anything, that probably meant she was still okay. He hung to that hope as he opened her door and went inside. Micky and Peter were still there, and Emily was sitting upright and smiling. Thank God.

"Hello Mike," she said. "How are you?"

"Never mind me, how are you?" asked Mike.

"Well-rested," said Emily.

"How's Al doing?" asked Micky. "We've been in here the whole time."

"He's good too," said Mike.

"That's a relief," said Peter. "I thought he was gone after that chandelier fell."

"Mike fixed him up though silly," said Emily. "We just came here to be sure that nothing more was wrong."

"And nothing is," said Micky. "Say, Peter, let's go see how Al's doing."

Of course Peter caught on this time and walked out of the room with Micky, leaving Mike and Emily alone. "Wow, what a time, am I right?" said Mike.

"You said it Mike," said Emily.

"But weren't we right?" said Mike. "We _told _you that you'd get us home, and you did!"

"Okay, I'll admit it," said Emily. "You all were right…but I almost died! I didn't do it by myself. You helped, I couldn't have done it without you Mike."

"Emily, you have no idea how much you scared me back there," said Mike. "I thought I'd lost you."

"I thought so too," said Emily. "But I'm here, thanks to you."

"What did it feel like?" asked Mike. "Playing the spell?"

"At first it was the greatest feeling in the world," said Emily. "I felt free and powerful, like I was on top of the world. But after a while I couldn't stop; I was forced to keep going, no matter how much it drained me. It was tiring and painful. It felt unreal and I had no idea if I'd make it past another note."

"It was scary to see you up there," said Mike. "I'm just glad you don't have to do it again."

"No more doom and gloom Mike," said Emily.

"Just one more thing," said Mike. "I realized that when you were lying there and we all thought you were going to die…I was thinking it all that time, but I never told you I love you."

Emily snorted. "Oh, come on Mike, I already know it," she said. "I don't need words."

"I would have wanted to let you know one last time," said Mike.

"But I'm alive," said Emily. "Mike, you're silly. But I love you too anyway."

Mike laughed and kissed her cheek. "Should I leave you?" he asked. "You look like you need some more rest."

"No, stay," said Emily. "I don't mind." Mike nodded and sat down on the bedside chair. Everyone stayed there for a few more hours before the doctors and nurses finally knocked on doors and came by to say that it was time for Al and Emily to be released. Carefully leading the two of them out of their rooms, the group was now out and walking in the parking lot to The Monkeemobile.

"Wow…" said Riley, looking around. "I'd forgotten how long it's been since I saw a real city like this."

"Yeah Riley, it's something to be back in civilization again," said Robbie. "Emily, I don't know how we can thank you."

"Oh, don't," said Emily, blushing. "I've had enough praise for today."

"Well Emily, you deserve it," said Riley.

"Well, I guess I do," said Emily, anything but humbled. They had to squeeze in, but everyone somehow managed to fit into the little red GTO to make the drive back to the pad. Once they got back, Peter leapt out of the car and kissed the driveway.

"Get up Peter," said Davy, grabbing Peter by the arm and dragging him up. "You don't know what's on that floor!"

"I don't care, I'm home!" Peter exclaimed, rushing to the door. He jiggled the doorknob but it didn't open. "It's locked! Mike, throw me the keys!"

"Alright, calm down shotgun," laughed Mike, and tossed Peter the keys as he was getting out of the car. Peter grinned ear-to-ear and stuck the key in the lock, opening the door.

"Yeah!" Micky exclaimed as he ran in. "It's the good ol' pad! Look, there's the good ol' stairs, the good ol' living room, the good ol' kitchen—"

"Yes, it's good to be back," said Davy.

"It's been a little while since I've been in here," said Al, looking around. "I must say, I can't tell if you've fixed the place up or let it go completely. Mike, when did the fridge get that colorful?"

"Blame Peter," said Mike. Peter smiled proudly at the recognition.

"Hey, it's nice," said Al. "Emily?"

"Oh, I rather like it," said Emily.

"No, not about the fridge," said Al. "I have to offer you something Emily."

"What's that?" asked Emily.

"Before you were born, I was in contact with your parents," said Al. "Your father and mother agreed to put you in my charge if anything should happen to them. Of course, things did happen to them, and, if you don't mind, I would like to honor that promise I made to them."

"You mean…I'll have a home again?" Emily asked. She turned around to the guys. They had housed her for a time, to Mike's resentment at the time. She would love to stay with Al, but it was a hard decision to not be around the guys all the time anymore.

"Go on Em," said Mike. "He's just around the corner—we'll see you plenty."

"Hey man, we're not leaving yet!" said Al. "Let's relax for a while…I need to sit on something soft." He went over to the sofa and sat heavily, breathing a sigh of relief. "Fluffy couch…it's been too long."

"Well?" asked Riley. "What about us? Robbie and I."

"What about you?" asked Micky.

"Well…you all have places, what about us?" asked Riley.

"I think what my sister means," said Robbie. "Is that you fellas have your pad, and Emily's moving in with Al. We don't have any money to get a place now. What's gonna happen to us?"

"Come with me and Al!" said Emily. "I mean—if it's okay with Al…"

Al laughed. "Of course it's okay with me!" he said. You two can stay until you find a means to move out on your own, or just until whenever! Doesn't make a difference to me."

"Oh, thank you!" exclaimed Riley.

"Not a problem," said Al, winking.

"Oh, I just love happy endings, don't you Peter?" fake-sobbed Micky.

"Yes, I do!" said Peter, who was r_eally _sobbing.

"Oh, come on Peter, don't cry!" said Mike.

"Yeah Pete, we're home!" said Davy.

"Yeah, I'm just so happy," said Peter, looking dreamily up at the ceiling.

"Wait—so everyone's staying here for now?" asked Davy.

"Yeah, I guess that's what's happening," said Mike. "Al? Right?"

"Yes," said Al. "My ass is not gonna leave this sofa for a _long _time. I need my beauty rest."

"Terrific," said Davy, eyeing Riley, who smiled coyly. Without a word between them, they raced each other up the spiral steps and presumably to Davy's room.

"Be careful up there Riley!" Robbie called up, but no response came.

"Come on Robbie, don't worry," said Micky. "He's only going up there to violate your sister, he's not gonna hurt her!" Robbie shoved Micky to the side, but said nothing. He knew that there was nothing he could do to stop it…Davy was persistent and his sister was as stubborn as a mule.

"Emily, come on, I think we need to get away from people, you know, some peace and quiet," said Mike.

"Oh, that's what he calls it," said Micky.

"Shut up Mick," said Mike. "That's what I really mean."

"I think they deserve it, whatever they're about to do," said Peter. "They're heroes!"

"You're all heroes," said Al. "Even the two knuckleheads upstairs."

"Yeah, 'knucklehead', you got that one right," said Robbie. He didn't specify whether he was talking about Riley or Davy, but Mike assumed it could be both.

"Let's go up Mike," said Emily. "I'm finding it hard to think of myself as a hero Peter, but I guess you may be right."

"Hey, Peter's right!" said Micky. "We should throw a party!"

"I think I've had enough parties for a week," said Peter, looking distraught. "And I'm probably not gonna wear a suit for a while…I think they cause bad luck."

"Wait, Emily, before you and Mike venture upstairs, there's one more thing I need you to do," said Al.

"What's that?" asked Emily.

"This," said Al. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out none other than that horrible spell.

"You had it with you the whole time?" asked Mike, in shock. "Wasn't that what you _didn't _want to do?"

"I wanted it with me just in case," said Al. "But Gary didn't find it!"

"What do you want me to do with it?" asked Emily.

"You guess," said Al.

Emily thought for a bit, and then came to a realization. "You want me to destroy it?" she asked.

"Just like The One Ring!" Peter exclaimed excitedly. "I just can't believe it! We were actually in Middle Earth back there!"

"Yes Emily," said Al, blatantly ignoring Peter. "You saw what destruction it caused. It's too dangerous to have around. You know what it can do to a person."

"Yeah, I do," said Emily.

"_Just _like The One—" started Peter, but Micky put a hand over his mouth.

"You need to get over this _The Lord of the Rings _obsession Frodo," said Micky.

"Wrong, that was Davy!" said Peter, breaking free of Micky's hand.

"Fine, you're more like Pippin anyway," said Micky.

Al handed Emily the sheet of music and she took it. Holding it was strange; she almost felt the power coursing through her veins, but she was sure it wasn't real. Just a memory. She looked at Al, then to Peter and Micky, to Robbie, and over to Mike. "Should I wait for Davy and Riley to come down?" she asked.

"Nah, just do it," said Mike. There was a high-pitched giggle that came from upstairs and Robbie shuddered. "It could have been Davy you know," said Mike again to him and Robbie made an even worse face.

"Just do it already, that thing's starting to freak me out," said Micky.

Emily smiled, and in a split second, she ripped the paper in two, then quarters, and then even smaller pieces. "Done!" she said.

"Good," said Al. "Let me have those pieces," said Al. Emily handed them over and Al stuffed them in his pocket again. "I need to dispose of this properly, you never know what can still be left."

"Smart," said Peter. "I'd hate to see that piece performed ever again…"

"Okay now you two lovebirds, get on upstairs now, you earned it," said Al.

Mike rolled his eyes and took Emily's hand. "We're just going up there for quiet time," he said. "That's it."

"Yeah, sure, you go do that," said Al with a glint in his eye.

"Don't break nothing now!" said Micky.

"That skinny stick couldn't break a twig," said Robbie.

"Quite the contrary," said Mike as he and Emily were already headed up the stairs. As they passed Davy's room Mike thought of knocking on the door and telling him and Riley that Emily had gotten rid of the spell for good, but he didn't want to interrupt anything that was going on in there—or see anything, for that matter. They just went on to Mike's room, entered, and closed the door.

"Well, home sweet home," said Mike, sitting on the bed. He patted the spot next to him for Emily, and she sat down too.

"Good to be back," she said.

"Are you happy to be going to live with Al?" Mike asked.

"Very," said Emily. "It'll be like having a father again." She smiled. "Guessing with Robbie and Riley I'll have siblings as well."

"I guess so," said Mike.

"Mike, I know you didn't want 'quiet time'," said Emily coyly.

"How'd you know?" asked Mike, grinning.

"Oh Mike, I know you!" said Emily. Without another word, she leaned over and kissed him. "I love you Mike. I'm glad I had this adventure with you."

"I love you too Emily," said Mike. "And the same here. You're nuts you know."

"I know," said Emily simply, and she kissed him again. The kisses took off, and soon Mike was on top of her on the bed, exploring her body and she his. Beautiful, wonderful bliss. The adventure was over, yes, but it was time for this new thing to keep growing. Mike was with Emily, and finally, he didn't have to be afraid about anything. There was a clank of metal as Emily places the flute on the nightstand for a free hand to fumble with Mike's shirt. After that, the only sound that was heard were their heartbeats and sighs. Yes, this was where they both belonged, beside each other in the little beachside pad in Los Angeles, no threats on their life, with friends. Mike knew for sure now that Emily—silly, naïve, quirky Emily Row—just may be the one.

**The End**

Hey! Thank you so much for reading! It pains me to end this story, but all good things must end. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed creating! I couldn't have done it without you all. Now, I'm going to ask you to help me out with something. I'm going to ask my usual questions, and you can respond to them if you wish on the reviews or PM me. These help me out a lot in future writing!

What was your favorite part/chapter and why?

How well did I get the boy's personalities down?

What was your favorite character (I'd prefer OC, but if not, it's okay) and why?

What could I have done better? Explain please!

Overall, what was your opinion, and don't be afraid to be open!

And of course, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. Thank you again!


End file.
